You're Not Alone
by StormBerryMC
Summary: Frisk has the weight of an entire race on her shoulders. It's no wonder she's breaking under the pressure. Includes all characters, but the ones listed will have POV chapters. Also on Archive of our Own
1. Ch 1: Omega Flowey

Blackness covered every inch of what was once the world of monsters. The only sound was the screaming of a small child, as she was killed over and over by a huge creature. If anyone had been around to hear, they would've surely been horrified, and would do everything in their power to help the poor child, but nobody came.

Frisk gasped as she was suddenly thrown back into the battle. The sounds of Flowey's roars, laughs, and screams rang in her ears, making her want to scream as well. She tried to dodge the vines that were shooting towards her, but Flowey loaded a save file to stop her. The vines pierced Frisk, making her cry out in pain and terror. Then everything went black.

15

"Don't you get it? There's no such thing as happy endings." said Flowey. "This is all that's left!" Then he laughed, sounding completely insane.

Frisk was able to dodge the vines this time, but not his flames and… finger guns? Just before Frisk thought that she was going to die, Flowey disappeared, and the battle transformed into a black void.

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this was where one of the souls would heal her. She looked up just in time to see a big shoe drop towards them. She dodged, but got hit by another shoe. Eventually, she was able to hit the ACT button. The shoes were lifted, and the stars that had once blocked Frisk's escape turned into music notes. She tried to get as much as possible, but was only halfway healed when Flowey returned.

Immediately, rockets began crashing down on Frisk, and flames scorched her body. It wasn't long before the unbearable pain ceased once again.

16

"Are you really THAT desperate? Ha, what an idiot!" Flowey jeered. His voice seemed to come from everywhere, echoing in Frisk's head. She covered her ears.

The battle seemed to drag on and on. Frisk would feel a sliver of hope when one of the souls came to her aid, but then Flowey would crush that hope. She died, she came back, she died again. It was an endless cycle.

17

18

19

20

"Maybe you're wondering if I ever get tired of winning… wanna see my answer?" teased Flowey, though Frisk barely heard him.

21

25

30

Flowey got as close to Frisk as possible, looking her straight into eye. "You're HOPELESS, Hopeless and alone. Golly, that's right. Your WORTHLESS friends… can't save you now! Call for help, I dare you! Cry into the darkness, 'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help! See what good it does you!"

Frisk saw the ACT button appear. With barely any strength left, she weakly pressed it. After a few seconds, Flowey spoke again.

"But nobody came." he said. "Boy, what a shame. Nobody else… is gonna get to see you die!"

Frisk closed her eyes, accepting her fate yet again, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see the human souls outside of Flowey.

"The souls… what are they doing?" Flowey yelled.

The souls suddenly attacked Flowey until there was nothing left… except a defenseless flower and a simple choice: FIGHT or MERCY

What happened next was all a blur. Frisk knew that she spared Flowey, got a call from Sans, and then Flowey brought back the world. Frisk took a peak inside the room where the barrier was, and saw Asgore's shadow. He was still waiting for her to come in and fight.

She would have to do it all again. She had to fight Asgore, spare him, maybe even fight Flowey again. Frisk stumbled back at the thought. She turned around, and ran in the opposite direction. Once she exited Asgore's house, Frisk got a call from Papyrus.

"Human! it is I, the great Papyrus!" he said, practically yelling into the phone.

Frisk tried to answer him without breaking down.

"Hi Papyrus." She said, voice shaking.

Papyrus started to respond, but then paused.

"Human! It sounds like you are in distress…"

Frisk cleared her throat, and tried to make her voice stronger. However, a small sob escaped while she was doing so.

"I'm fine, it must be the signal." She said, attempting to ease the skeleton's worry.

"Human, I can tell the difference between a poor signal and the distress of a dear friend." Papyrus said. "But, worry not! I, Papyrus, will help you! What is it that upsets you?"

Frisk began to sweat as she tried to figure out what to say to Papyrus.

"Uh, well… um…" She stuttered, trying find words to describe what happened. Remembering the last few events caused another sob to escape. Panicking, Frisk hung up the phone, and continued into the core.

Frisk walked until she came to a save point. Approaching it, Frisk reached out and… nothing. Her eyes widened, and she tried again… nothing. Frisk was confused. Why wouldn't her save point work? Then, she realized. Her determination… or rather, her lack of it. Frisk couldn't save, because she felt no determination

This fact caused yet another sob to escape her, and thinking about the reason for her lack of determination, opened the floodgates. Frisk began to walk to the next room but the tears in her eyes blurred her vision

After a few minutes of practically blind stumbling, Frisk sank to her knees and sobbed. Her cries seemed to echo down every corridor, but it didn't even matter. Frisk's sobs only got louder. It seemed like it would never end. She could feel her heart shatter, almost believing that it actually would.

Frisk descended into her own thoughts. Everything began to close in on her, and her vision began to grow dark. But nobody…

…"Kid?"

That word… that voice… Frisk slowly raised her head, and saw Sans standing in front of her. He looked at her, his eyes were wide with worry.

Frisk and Sans stared at each other for a moment. Sans opened his mouth to speak, but Frisk beat him to it.

"Sans, I'm sorry… I can't break the barrier. I can't set you all free. I don't have anymore determination!" Frisk began to cry again. "I can't beat Asgore agai-"

"Kid," Sans interrupted. "You… don't have to break the barrier."  
Frisk looked up at Sans in surprise. He was staring at her, almost with a look of fear.

"I didn't… You thought that… kid, nobody expects you to break the barrier by yourself. It would be, impossible!" Sans said, kneeling down next to her.

"But, I have to! I have to set you free!" Frisk insisted

"No, you've done so much for us already. Kid, you taught us that humans, might not be so bad after all. You changed the opinion of every monster in the underground!"

"I can still set you free…" Frisk said almost to herself, not listening to Sans. "If I give my soul to Asgore, he can…"

She was interrupted by Sans hugging her tightly.

"Don't say that! We would rather stay down here forever. Kid, you're our world! You've already saved us. You gave all hope again." he said.

After a moment of silence, Frisk began to cry again. This time, Sans joined in, but only a little.

"Alright, that's enough of the waterworks" Sans joked.

Frisk sighed. "Thank you Sans."

"No problem. I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to do this alone. I didn't think about how young you were, but when I heard your voice on Papyrus' phone… I realized…" Sans sighed. "Hey, if the time does come for you to face Asgore, just remember that you're not alone."

Frisk smiled, realizing that she couldn't remember the last time she had done that.

"Oh, by the way." Sans said. "Papyrus and Undyne are waiting for you in Snowdin. said they needed you to deliver something.

Frisk gave a thumbs up.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up."

Sans shrugged and teleported away.

Frisk sighed. She may not have told Sans about Flowey, the dying, or the save points, and maybe she never would. That was okay. Sans seemed to know just what to say. Frisk sighed again and glanced at the save point. She reached out and…

YOU'RE NOT ALONE  
YOU'RE FILLED WITH DETERMINATION


	2. Ch 2: The True Lab

Trigger warning: panic attack marked by ***

Frisk carefully stepped off the River Person's boat. She shivered slightly in the cold of Snowdin.

"Thank you." Frisk said.

The River Person nodded in response, and floated away. Frisk turned around, and began heading to Papyrus's house. Just as expected, Papyrus and Undyne were standing in front of it. Frisk went up to the two, and they both smiled.

"Hello human, I am very relieved that you are safe and sound! After our conversation on the phone, my brother left to make certain that you were well." Papyrus explained loudly.

Frisk smiled. "Yes, I'm feeling much better now. Sans said that you had something to give me?"

Papyrus nodded and looked at Undyne, who blushed a little, before pulling a letter out of her pocket. "This letter is for Alphys. I want you to bring it to her." she said.

Frisk looked at Undyne with questioning eyes. "Why don't I do it myself?" Undyne asked. "Well," she said, blushing again. "Since you're my bestie, I guess I can tell you… Hotland sucks!"

Frisk gave a little snicker, before cutting it off at the sight of Undyne's glare. Frisk took the letter, gave a thumbs-up, and walked back to the River Person.

The next few hours went by like a blur. Frisk gave Alphys the letter, which resulted in another awkward date, which finally gave her the opportunity to help Alphys with her struggles. Alphys ended up closer to Undyne, and on her way to recovery.

"I'm a garbage can, not a garbage cannot!" Frisk could hear Papyrus shout in the distance, to which Alphys repeated, already a little out of breath.

"She was kidding, right? Anime's real, right?!" Undyne was shouting.

Frisk looked thoughtful. Out of all the choices she had been making, this one seemed to be the most difficult. Finally, Frisk shook her head sadly.

Undyne's eyes widened. "No… No! I can feel my heat breaking into pieces!… No, I can survive this. I have to be strong, for Alphys! Thank you, human, for telling me the truth." she said. And with that, Undyne left, leaving Frisk alone.

She laughed a little. Frisk had really enjoyed helping her friends. She had honestly had a lot of fun. As she started to leave the garbage dump, where the whole thing had taken place, Frisk wondered what she were supposed to do now. Almost in answer, her phone rang. Frisk picked it up, and heard Papyrus on the other end. He sounded almost, worried. He told Frisk that he had sent Alphys home, and that she should go check on her.

"Papyrus, what do you…" Frisk started to say, but then realized that he had hung up.

Frisk suddenly got a bad feeling. She didn't know why, but it caused a chill to run down her spine. Frisk was now determined to make sure Alphys was alright.

Frisk started walking through Alphys' lab. It wasn't dark like before, but it seemed more quiet than usual, and it caused another chill to run down her spine. Frisk was then startled by the bathroom door opening. Except, it wasn't a bathroom. It seemed more like a dark hallway. In front of the door, there was a note. After reading it, Frisk became even more worried. She stepped through the door, and found herself in an elevator.

Before Frisk knew what was happening, she was falling, again! Down into the darkness she fell, it seemed to be endless. Frisk began to breathe heavily, and she squeezed her eyes shut. It was like her fall into the underground all over again. This is what she wanted though, right? Then why was she so afraid? She should be smiling…

A loud noise shook Frisk from her thoughts. She opened her eyes.

"Oh," she said aloud.

Frisk realized that she wasn't falling down the hole, but were instead still in the elevator. It must have malfunctioned, and now she was… somewhere else. The only light was coming from outside the elevator. Cautiously Frisk stepped out.

It was still pretty dark, and that wasn't just referring to the lighting. Frisk walked down a green tinted hallway. On the walls, were lit up messages. They appeared to be like some type of journal entry.

ENTRY NUMBER 1: This is it... Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL.

ENTRY NUMBER 2: The barrier is locked by SOUL power... Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now... The SOULs of monsters.

ENTRY NUMBER 3: But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power... Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans... The SOULs of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's SOUL last…

ENTRY NUMBER 5: I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power… DETERMINATION

Frisk stood in front of the last entry. What was this place? Frisk felt sudden dread about this whole situation, but she still couldn't figure out why. Turning the corner, Frisk saw a save point, which filled her with great relief, and determination to find out what was going on. When she touched the save point, the name of her current location lit up. TRUE LAB.

"Alphys, what have you been doing down here?" Frisk wondered aloud.

After some looking around, Frisk found a chip dispenser, two locked doors, and a hallway to the left of the save point. She decided to go that way, well, they really had no other choice.

Frisk came across more entires, each more mysterious than the last. They talked about experiments with monsters who had "fallen down" Frisk had no idea what it all meant. She soon came to a room with some operating tables and three sinks. The tables were sticky, definitely not a good sign.

Frisk went over to the sinks and looked inside them. There was a red key in the sink next to the wall. She reached for it, but then the sink suddenly turned on by itself. A strange, white liquid poured from the faucet, and Frisk stumble back in horror. Before her eyes, the liquid morphed into a deformed creature, which turned into three creatures, who immediately attacked.

She tried to check the monster's stats, but there was no data available. Distorted noises emulated from the creatures, and Frisk suddenly had to dodge attacks that were just as strange as the monsters were. By the time the first attack ended, Frisk's hp was 10/20.

Frisk tried to check their stats through the ACT button, but still couldn't find information. She could feel something enter her inventory. Confused, she checked, and sure enough, there was a new item, Bad Memory. As soon as she saw it, Frisk pictured Omega Flowey. She tried to throw the memory away, but it came back.

Frisk's breathing began to get faster as she pictured Omega Flowey. It seemed as if he was  
going to kill her right then and there. She could feel her heartbeat pounding, as if it was  
going to explode. Sans said that she would never be alone, but here she was. A sob  
escaped her lips.

"Why hadn't Papyrus come with me?" Frisk thought, bitterly.

Frisk got out her phone to try and call him, but there was no response. Instead, she could  
hear strange voices.

"Come join the fun!"

Frisk looked up at the creatures, who now revealed their names to be MemoryHead.

"N-no, I won't" Frisk stuttered, beginning to sweat. She could barely get the words out, due to  
her labored breathing.

Slowly, the MemoryHeads faded away, leaving a glowing red key in the sink. Frisk, however,  
hardly noticed. She was too lost in her own panic. All Frisk could hear was Omega Flowey,  
screaming and laughing as he killed her. Frisk began to hyperventilate, and sank to her  
knees, shaking. She tried to suck air into her lungs, but it was as if there was no air left in the  
room. Everything seemed to close in, and Frisk's vision began to go dark. As tears streamed  
down her face, Frisk could barely manage to whisper, "Please, anybody… help me.."

But nobody came

D̹̱̥̥͍ͨ͡ȁ̛͕ͦ̆̊͠͞ŗ̮̰͕̱͕̊͌̓͋͒ͪ̒ͭͅk̼̞̝̯͇̪͛ͦ͑͐ͧͮ̋̃̎͠͝.̙͕̜̥̙̒̆̍̈̚ͅ.̷̥̟̹̈́̍̒ͅ.̮̞͚̟͒ͮ̿̕͟͟ ̢̹͇̘̳̥ͨ͝Ḓ̴̺̥͈̪̠͌̾̑́̈͒̅ͨ͢͠a̟͕͎͈̎̃ͭ̒ͮ̋r̶̜̱̳͚̐̏̅ͥͤ͆̀͌ͫ́͢k͚̥ͦͧ͜ͅẹ̻͙̖̖͇ͯ̈͋̂̍͂̽̀ŗ̴̺͎ͧ͗͛ͫͫ̐.̨̫͔̥̟̳̖͗ͫ͆͞.̩͔̫͛͑̉.̆̉̌ͮ̑̀̊̓͏̰̞͙́͞ ̖̣͚͔̞͎̖̐͘ͅY̵̩̫̞̮̑̉͝͝e̼̜̍̈ͧ͋ͪͬ̆̚t̼̲͕͈͖͋͒͛̀ ̛̥̭ͣ̓́d͕̐̔a̠̪̠̯͈̳̦ͧ̂̓͗ͥ̀ŕ̛̟̮̦̱̳̺ͣ̂͂ķ͓̙̞̤̟̫̻̦̀̈̾̎̊͋̒ͤ̋ͅe̘͉̞̒̐͐̀ͫ̿͌r͛̂̿ͬ͑̒҉͚̥͉̣̙̠͟.͆ͯͦ̍̕͏͍̯̮̩͔̙̲.͎̥̥̪͓̜̌ͫ̂̆̎ͅ.̳̟̌ͮͯ͋̂͞ͅ  
̬̱̼̥̬̣͚̩̋̌̎͜͡Ṱ̸̫͚͇̃̐ͭ̉̑̾̾̈́ͅh̜̘̦̘̆̕͟ͅe̫̯̟̬͒ͯ͠ ̶͕̖͖͑̃́̚d̝̹̦̥̟͖͎̄ͥͣ̀a̡̧͚͈̿̒̋̃̚͝r̷̷̺͕͓̪̒͆k̨̛̟͇͔͚̣̙ͨ̈́ͧ̎͆̉͝n̈̔̓͏̴̡̘̗̯̖̻ͅȩ̶̹͈̘̟̻̼̮̹̄ͤ͐s̖̬̟̟̮̤̬̜̪̈̿̀̿͡͝s̶̢̙͓̻̝̜̹̪̰̍̎̈́̿͊̀ ̡͉͇͈̱̤̼̓͊͒ͣͧ̏̃̚͟͠k̵̮̭̱̬͆͊͋ͬ̏̊́ę̛͕͙̭̬̬̲̲̆͂ͯ̓̎ͦe̴̟̪͍̝̼̖̓ͩp̸̬̳͎̻̭̼͙ͫ̐ͭ͋͌̚s̲̜̤̬̝̖̜̳̖̃͊̔̏̿͢ ̊̈̀͏̻͓̯g̗̫͉̍ͯ̈́̃̀r̶̺̗͕̟̻̥̼͈ͥ̽̇̂͡o̶̬̭͕̣͔̍͊ŵ͈̺̻̯̚͘͢͢i̴̛̠̼̞̭̗̠̜̍͂̌ͦ͆́n̸̲̮̼͕̦̹̩͌̾͝g͒ͣ̑ͮ̿͒ͤ͆͏̛̮̫̹̯͉͕͙̗.̩̯͍͇͎ͩ̾̏ ̷̫͛͟͝Ť̯̫̪̯ͬ̏̿h̶̶̰͙͕̠͍͈̣̬͖͐̏̌̆̒i̵ͪ̆̔͏̼s̫͆͛̿ͨͭͯ̚͢͞ͅ ̴̵͕̺̒ͤ̌ͪ̆ͬͬ͢ͅh͓̙̘̿ͩ̏ͩ͂ͤͭ̓̚͞u̐҉̝̟̱̠̝̗͍̗m̑͂͑͂̿͊ͨ̀͏̻̭͔̭͕̗a̡̬̤̤͍ͭ͑̂̚̚n̴̄̊̍̚҉̟͖̺̖̺̝̠̤͠ ̫̺̰̭̩̍̓͆̽̃͌̀̕s̘̜̗̬̠͍͈̀ͬ̽ͨ͆̑͝e̴̵̳͍̖̘̜̘͍͎ͦͤ̓̔ͩe̴̙͒̈̍̍ͥ͆ͨͩ͜m̨̦̦̙̠̪͎̐̏ͧͨͮ̈̋s̶̶̺̯̳̙̪̱̭ͮͯ͒ͯ͑̽̇̒.̘̬͍̙̥̳̜̥̂ͩ͆̀̾́́͠.̿ͪ͂͊̆̆̏̚͏̷̨̣̣̺̬͉̻̘̤.̧̬͔̠͔̯͇̣̅͑̽͝ͅ ̫̗̩̜͇͚͓̜͇̍͌ͬ͗̌ͯͧ̒͞s̴͔͕̈͗̔̂ͦ̽̿͡t̴͔̻̦͕̾ͭͨ͛ͣ̀r̶̢̬̼̫͚͎̪̩̹̳̓̏͛a̭̖̭̱̠̯̻̠ͮ̏̄͟n̶̶̩ͥͧ̋g̴̨̪̟̮͋ͦͧȩ̜̜̩̖̋̉́͊̿͛͋ͫ.̛̟̰̞͔̤̰̒͆̈̋̎̍̅ͨͮ ̵̩̙̩͍̈͐ͫͫ̿ͥ͟  
̷͙͖̳̤̬̹̦͋ͣͤͧ͜T̡̥ͭ̿͋̂͂̈̔͜h̛̬̟̠̱̮̣͕̟̲͐͛ͬ̏͗͌ͨe̪̙̯̺ͥ̇̈́̋͋͐̅̔͟i͓̺͑ͯ͗͠r̰̦̂ͥͩ̊ͥ͑̕͡ ̸̳̩͔ͣ͊̓̿̌̊͢f̥͉̤͇͔̼͔ͪͥ̆͜ű̴̧͍̣̦̖̾̎ͥt̙̭̝̩̞͓̪͎̑͘u̡̫̜̙̘̔ͥ̍̎͂ͪ̓͟ṛ̸̩̲̝ͭ̍ȩ̷̹͊̌͌͞ͅ ̸̳͔̤̖̝̖͍͒̀̅͂̿s̻͉̬͔̫ͣͦ̿̈́̊̒̾ͫť̝̰̻̯̙̞̝͂͋̌̏͋͊̓r͓̥̼̖̩̟̯͋ͦͧ͢e̬̱̬͍̦̲̝ͨ͐͑̓̒́t̢̼͇̫̤̜͇̬̭̞̑̿c̸̺̻̹ͯͭͨ̾͜h̫̹̣̼͎͕͉̭̯̋̀̕e̸̜̠̽͌͋̌̓̓̑͛ͫͅͅṣ̮̤͒ͪ̏ͣ͜ ̸̞̝̞͉̈́̌̔͢i̵̱̞͎̟̱̘̠͉͒́͗ͨ̉n̷̙͔̥ͬ͐̇̄̀ͩͩḟ͌͏̪̞͖̙̺̰͔i̴̝̮̳̗ͪ̑ͮͭ̌̏͛̆̕n̮̜͚͈̫̓͆͋̂ͮ̿̀̚i͔͌ͧͫ͋ṯ̉ͣͭ͑è́̎̄͏̱̩̼̦l͍͙̦͎̪̥̜͆̕ͅy͖͕̺̻̑ͦ͗͟,͖̎ͨ͛̋ͩ͊̾̉ ̼͇̠̖̺͍̊̈͜͞ḭ͚͖ͨ͊̓̄n̄̂͐̇ͤ̋̅̋͏̣̫͚̦̱̼t̶̩̙̻̭͕̗̫̣͊̊̈͋͞͠ě̷̡̝̟̇̊̒͐ͮ͜ŕ͚̟̱̦̟̚͟͠t̡̺̦͛͘ẉ̝̤̠͈ͦͫ͝i̵̬̬̺̙̟̽͝n͒̓̋͋ͮ͆҉̺̯̖̭ǐ̴̺̖̠̗̙͓̋ͫn̛̟͚̺̟̠̗͊̆͋g̯͔͉̟̝̪̫̔ͬ͋́ͬ͆͝ ̸̜͍̦͉̅̑͗̉͘o̧̳̺̥̬̝̱̘͆ͮͯͩ̒̽́̚n̵̘̜̱̝͔̟̪̓̿ͣͮ̍̑̊̔͝t̡̻̗͕̬̯̣̼̝ͣ͗̏́ò̦͓̩͈̱͝ͅ ̵̳̝͎̈́͛̿̆̉ͫ͗̚͡ș̷̷̛͍͊́̋e̤͍͕̬̹̟ͭ̍ͧͫ͟͡v͖̦͑ͣe̴̘͓̝͆͑ͤr͚̮͍͋̇̚a̩͉̞͙̣ͭ̃͘l̩̠̝͚̪̭͓̬͊̍ͯͫͮ̊͝͞ ̒̈͂̉ͫ̕͏̟͓͇̱d͖̖͍̈́̏̂̽͐͟͜i̪̖̘̦ͫ͆ͭ͑̆̆̏ͩf̘̉̔̏f̨̡̮̤̩̳̈͌ͅě̤͕͚̟̤̬̯̎̓̌̚r̨̄̆ͮ̚҉̗̫͎̣͔ë̙̹̙̤́ͩ̓͢n̫̖̆ͧ̏ͩ̑ͣt̵̳̱̙̟̽̒͐͂̈ͥ̍͞ ̢̨̑͏͈͍p̨̩̺̠̠͑̃ͅḁ͖͙͍͎͔̫̗̐ͪ̈̑͑ͭͮ̽̊t̡̤̱̰̅̌͝ḩ͙̼̣̮̒ͬş̴̭̜̖͗̍ͭ͑.̶̨̛̫͍̫ͫͩ̅  
͇̻͈͈̞̻̬͚̻͋̈́ͥ̿͆̀̽́T̍̉̄ͬ̾͠͏͚̻̠̺̱h͚̳͕̹̓̈́ͣ͛ͅe̢̯̺̹͎ͯ̈ͬ̈ͫ̑ ͙͖̦̦̮̞̆̐ͨ̑͛̄ͯͅf̗̤͙̼̮ͤa͑ͧ͏̟̙͉͢t̉̏҉̤̳̘e̵̘̟̪̞̩̤̘̜ͦͥ ̫͖̪͇̮͎͓͉̂ͬȏ̠̞͍̣̱̒͗̈́͠f̛̩̤̫͉͈̟̄̆͆ͬͣ̚͜͝ ̫̰̺͙̦̺̦̂̏̽ͮ̚͝ͅė̢̧̬̺͙̰̩̯͖̞͆̆ͬ̆͒̏̚v̲̳͒͂͌ẹ̻͔͇͚̼̟̲̟̀̔͘r̷̻̬̺͕̻̗̗̻̘͊͋ͦ̿ͪy̨ͩ̉̐̿͏̛̖ ̵̛̻̜ͤm̘̘͍̣̹͓̮̘͍̍ͬ̀͊̇ͨ͒͑ǒ̧̜̘̗̙̟̯̠͛ͧ̍̈́ͤ̏͐̐͢n͓̹̬͇̥͍͐ͦ͜s̙̘͇̜̩̳͈͈̓̎̽ṯ̛̦̂ͬ̀ͥ̐̓ͬͮ̋͟ė̷̿̋҉̫̥͎͈̬r̷̶͍͖̜͇̮̥̱̙̼̒̈́̏̅̋̆̈́̾̄͢ ̙͚̘͍̜͕͇͍̉̉̍̓ͣ̒r̳̳̻̰̱͓̉͑͆̽͢ě̴̶͎̻̎́͒̒͠s̢͎̮̘̻̩̳̟̗̄ͤ͗̂ͬ͌t͍͕̺̐̒̏̃ͯ͛ͨs͚̜̼̱͊̀ ̵͇̬̫̥͖ͭͪ̊͊ͯͪ̅̂͠ȏ͓͇̫͉̫̝̩̇̓̑͑̀n̊̄̑ͬ͒͆ͩͨ҉̛̤͕͡ ͨ͂̌̃͐̅͏̧̘ţ̧̭̩͇̽̀͗h̴͙̰͓̮̍ͯ͆̋e̵̤͔͉̯̖̘̘̰͋̑ͯm̴̵̡̯͕͇͇̬͎̬̙̈͆̇̂̓̌ ̴̼̗̖̗͊̈̔͊͐ͭ͆̉ą̳͚͕̫̭ͩͯͮͧ̓̑ͮ͢l̴̡̮̰̱̙̦̩͗ͪ̅̆͆̑̈́͞o̷̠͛͆̽ͧ̑̾̏̀ͅņ̴̭̣͔͎̅̎̿́ͩ̀e̸̢̯̩̭̻̝̟̭̐͜.̴̻̝̣̝̺ͪͩͬ̆͗ͅ ̴̹̬̘̫̗̪̹̹͙͊̓̽̄͐̅  
̗͚̙̺̦̘̤͕ͥ͗W̢̤͈̺̮̿̄͐̐͑͐̌̅̇͟ͅͅi̢̼͍̤̱̬̬̐͜l̵̨͈̪̟͙̦̉ͥͧ̿̓͗͞l̋̊ͥ͒͏̵̭̤ͅ ͇̪̥͔͚̩͕̩͊ͣ̎͊͌̅̌͘ͅt̡̹̩̻̺̯̜̱̫̜͑̍ͬ͛͌̎ͯͧ̒h͈̦ͤ̑̃̎̂͡e̴̯̔̍ͪͮ̆̚͘͟ÿ̶̴͇̫͐̃ͫ̀̿̔̅ͥ ̢̥̯̥̟̩̹̈̀̕b͍̭̙͖̬̖̅̀̓͋ŗ̶̭̱̙̲̩͖͂͛ȩ̸̢̖̪̜̼̉ͭ͛ͭ̒̓̚a̢͙̠̫̳ͪ̐̌͗̍ͯ̚͜͜k̵̯̺̦̋̆͆ͣ̄͋̀̚ ̵̤̣̤̖͂ͤ̽͑ͯu̦̞̥ͥͨ̋̔̎͛́̕͠ṇ̷̮̳̲̺̜̝͌̍͜d͌͒ͪ̓ͬ҉͇̘̦͉͘͝ë̲͚͙̲͚̥̗̖́ͯ͌͆͑̅̿͞r̢̝̍̐̏̚͡ ̡̧̮̘̳̯̮̎ͮ̇ͣṫ̶̢͙̮̤̩̏͋ͪh̢̻̟ͧ̒̎̎̉̅ē̗̠͛͂̂ ̛͎͖͕̦̭͙͋ͨp͓͋͒̌̔͒̿̅̈r͍̬͍̬̤̳ͮͬ̓̉̎ę͙̰̞̏̔́̂́ͅs͖͎̥͇̅͐̐̂͋͋̉̈ͣ͡s̢̲͉̱͍̙̥̞̫̈́̓̋̀̚ͅü̜͂͊̅̾r̬̤̦͇͓͂ͮ̆ͥ͆͊̇̽̀e̶̦̰̦̭͔̩̞ͯ́ͤ͋̈̎̈́̑̔ͅ?̳̗̦͇̰̠̥̞͒̾̉̈́͟ ̴̡̳̯̞͓̯̱̈́̉͗ͩ̉̀̒̈́͟I̷̷͚̭͔̠̫̰̦̠ͧͥ͢ ̡̧̟̺̯͙̫̥̱̲ͩ̑̄͑â̼̝̥͕̞̹̭̓̈́͛̚͝m̰̬͖̦̙̙̮̺̅̋̏͋͢ ̘̳͈͓̣̹̆̾̂̈̍͊̓̃̄͞v̥̠͎̠̦̘͎͇ͥͮ̏̍̈̕͘͢e̢͎̬̱̳͍͓ͣ̌̄̑̅r̛ͦ̒̊ͫ͠͏̹̞̻̬͖̭͍̭y͕̖̅̆̆̆ ̛̟̱͖͓͇̞͎͐ͧ͋ͅḯ̦̈́͟n̖̳̜͓͔̦ͪͥͧͬ̒̾̀̕t̳̗͇̜͂̕ͅē̤̥͙͇͇̝͖̐̉ͫ̆ͮ̐̋̍̕͘ṛ̸̢̫̓ͯ̏̿̚͢ȇ̠̻͖͔̺̺ͮͦ̓͆́̚ṣ̝̘̘͈͈͈̑ͣ͒͒͛̓͊ͬ́t̝͇ͯͥ͐̍̀e̡̫̗̩̜͍͉̞̔̌ͭ͠ͅd͔͔͙̐̍̀ͯ̈́̒́̚͘ ͇̖̍̐̈́̎ͫͦt̞ͯ͑̈͜o̡̟̘̲͍̳̿ͬͧͩ̓͘ ̴̤̩̥̙̞̠̮ͬ̅͗̽̽͊̂̎͢͝s̢̬̩̦͕̹͉ͨ̆͌͌ͮͧ͛͘ͅe̮̹̭̺̱͚̱ͫ̅̄̿̾̂ͧ͛͝͝e̖ͪ̽̐̆̽͐ͮ.̅̾҉̛̺͔͈͘.̡̺̣̖̞̠̦̥͆͋.̎̈̒̂̓̐̏̚҉̹̮̳͍̞̹  
̝̲̖̜̱̠̝̣ͯͩͮ̐̈̔̓̍W͕̦̯̘ͦ̇͐̆͋͌͢͝ḧ̶̫̯̞̺̭͖̇ͯ̀̕ä̦̘̪͌̔̆̀ͅt͊̿̿̀ͫͧͤ̈́͏̶͏͕̭ ̲̯͖̝̰̞͎͚̊̆͑ͬͥ̕d̷͓̠̗͑̀̈́ͬ̽͢ͅo̗̼͇̰̰̾ͭͧ̅͑̍̍̉ͧ ͎̝̼̪͔̦̳̖̅̔̾̽̔̓̅͠y̨̩̳̯̺̦͙̙̹̱͆̀ͦ̀ͦ̌́o̴̡͖̟̮͈̥̝̓u̩͎͉͇̗̝͍̅̇̈́̂͊ͣ́ͅ ̸͙̳͕͉̞̍̈́̄ͣ͟t͕͎̪̮͎̣̗̍̏͡ͅwͮ̇̍̾͗͒̈̄̈͏͏̙͖͕̝ơ͍̝͎͚͖̥̌̑ͅ ̸̗̣͉͔̞̳͎̝͊́̏t̡̏̅͡͏̲̠̯͍͔̭ͅh̟͈͛̊̊̒ͯͣ̄ͯ̀ĩ͒҉̧̤̦̱͢n̛̗̘͔ͣͥ͢k̛͉̦̦͔͓ͬͧ̉?͖̩͉̰͕͕͈͚̃ͪ͛̂͘͝

Frisk groaned, and tried to bring her surroundings back into focus. Had she passed out? Frisk's muscles were aching from her attack. She sighed, and picked herself up from the cold, hard floor. Putting an arm on the sink for support, she caught sight of the red key. Frisk picked it up, and looked around. Seeing a room a little to the right, she walked over almost in a trance. There was a slot, which the red key fit in perfectly. A small red light illuminated the small room, and brought Frisk fully to her senses.

"What's the point?" she muttered. "I really am all alone…"

Seeing another note on the floor, Frisk picked it up and read, Drain… dropped it…

"Alphys must have left this." She thought. "Poor Alphys, who knows what she must be feeling…" Frisk then realized that she knew. Alphys was probably feeling alone. She took a deep breath, and made a decision. She would find Alphys.

As Frisk turned around to continue. She could feel as if something was with her, and was comforting her. Was it her determination? Whatever it was, she welcomed the feeling.

Just because Frisk was determined to press on, didn't mean that it was easy. The lab entries that she passed disturbed Frisk to the core. She also encountered more monsters, who seemed to be shells of their former selves. She recognized parts of other monsters, and used similar tactics to calm them down. Frisk had her suspicions as to what was going on, but she hoped with all of her heart that she was wrong.

After almost an hour, Frisk made it to a room full of refrigerators. Near the end of the room, she encountered another monster. This one, however, she was able to recognize immediately. It was a Snowdrake, although there were several other souls attached.

So… cold… she moaned.

Frisk looked at the options before her, and looked up at the monster. "M-mmacaroni and f-freeze…?" she stammered.

The Snowdrake cocked her head to one side, and whispered softly, "Ha ha, I… remember…"

Frisk braced herself, but the Snowdrake's attacks drifted by, leaving her unharmed. Tears threatened to spill out, but Frisk managed to keep her composure.

"Ice puns are 'snow' problem." Frisk continued.

Snowdrake smiled and whispered, "Ha ha,thank you…", before sending out attacks that again completely missed.

Frisk smiled a little and said, "My favorite cereal: frosted!"

The Snowdrake sighed deeply, before slinking away into the darkness, completely calmed down.

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, before taking a key and putting it into the nearest slot. She realized that must've been the last one, because she heard a click in the distance. Frisk walked all the way back to the room with the locked door, and found that it was now open. Carefully, Frisk peeked through before starting to walk down yet another dark hall.

There were screens for journal entries, but they were turned off. Frisk came to the end and saw a strange contraption that was probably for the power. After she pressed it, however, low moaning sounds came from behind her. Frisk whirled around to see several of the MemoryHead monsters crawling towards her. Frisk's eyes widened in fear, and she backed up against the wall. It was no use, as the monsters closed in.

"Hey, stop!" came a familiar voice. The monsters stopped their approach, and Alphys came into view. "I got you guys some food okay?!" she continued. In response, the monsters groaned as they left the room. Turning to Frisk, Alphys blushed. "Sorry about that, they get a bit sassy when their not fed on time." After a small, awkward silence, Alphys sighs.

"Well, I guess you deserve an explanation." she stammers.

Before Alphys can explain, Frisk walks over and gives Alphys a hug. "Before you do," she says. "I want you to know that you're not alone. I'll always be ready to support you, and I know everyone else will too."

As Frisk stepped back, Alphys looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Yes, I know that now."


	3. Ch 3: Hopes and Dreams

ENTRY NUMBER 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it... In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder... What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?

ENTRY NUMBER 18: the flower's gone.

Frisk went over the last two lab entries in her head. "What does this mean?" She thought. As she came to the end of a dark hallway, Frisk entered an elevator. Suddenly, she was startled by her phone ringing. When she answered it, a voice she had never heard before began speaking.

"Chara, are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara… see you soon."

Before Frisk could even think about the strange phone call, the doors of the elevator closed, and it began moving incredibly fast. Frisk braced herself for impact, but the elevator slowed down down just before coming to a stop. When the doors opened, Frisk stepped out and realized she was back at Asgore's castle. She turned around, and jumped as she saw green, thorny vines covering the elevator.

"There's nowhere to go but forward…" Frisk sighed nervously.

She was hoping to see Sans again in the Judgement Hall, but he wasn't there. Frisk became increasingly nervous as she came closer to the barrier. At last, only one doorway stood between her, and Asgore. Reluctantly, Frisk entered.

Of course, Asgore was there. He asked her if there was any unfinished business that she had. Knowing she had no other choice, Frisk shook her head. Slowly, Asgore turned around, revealing eyes that have known love, loss, hope, and despair. His eyes also burned with something else; the same gleam that Frisk knew was in her own eyes: determination.

"Ready?" asked Asgore sadly.

Without waiting for a response, Asgore summoned seven containers. Six of them had human souls inside of them. The seventh one, was empty. Frisk entered a battle, and looked at Asgore fearfully.

"Perhaps," she thought. "Asgore retained some of his memory from the previous timeline."

However, Asgore continued to talk.

"Human… it was nice to meet you. Goodbye"

Tears sprang to Frisk's eyes, and she prepared to battle Asgore. But, Asgore wasn't summoning his trident… She looked up at Asgore, and saw that he was looking at something off to the right. Before Frisk could look, a fireball hit Asgore, and sent him to the ground. Then, Toriel came into view. Frisk's eyes lit up at the sight of her, and she could no longer stop the tears from flowing. Toriel, seeing her tears, gave Frisk a hug.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth. Do not be afraid, my child. I am here now, to protect you."

Hearing her voice again, it fills you with determination. "I… I'm so glad you're here!" Frisk whispered, hugging Toriel tightly.

"Oh my child, I'm so sorry. At first, I thought that I would let you make you're journey alone, but I realized that you would face a horrible choice. As terrible as Asgore is, he deserves to live too."

Hearing his name, Asgore stood and came over. "Tori… you came back" he began.

"Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" Toriel interrupted. "You pathetic whelp."

Frisk tried to pay attention, but sounds coming from outside the doorway distracted her. It sounded like there were several voices talking, but she couldn't make out any words. After a bit of listening, Frisk turned back to Toriel and Asgore, who were still arguing.

"I am a miserable creature," Asgore was saying. "But… do you think we can at least be friends again?" In response, Toriel sighed. "No Asgore" Tears began to form in Asgore's eyes, but before he could say anything else, Undyne burst through the door.

"Ngahhhhhh! Asgore! Human! Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll…!" Undyne suddenly stopped shouting when she caught sight of Toriel.

"Hello, my name is Toriel. Are you the human's friend?" asked Toriel.

Undyne looked from from Toriel to Asgore, before saying, "Uh, yeah… nice to meet you." Then she headed over to Asgore and whispered, "Hey Asgore, is that you ex?" In response, Asgore's tears returned. "Jeez, that's rough buddy."

Frisk then heard Alphys' quiet voice as she entered the room. Frisk watched in awe as her friends came in one by one, to convince Asgore not to fight. They were all willing to give up their dreams of making it to the surface, for her. Frisk thought that she had never been happier in her entire life. And then…

"You idiots… while you guys were having your little 'pow-wow', I took the human souls!"

Frisk looked at Flowey in horror. He had her friends wrapped up in his inescapable vines. Frisk looked around for something to help them escape, but there was nothing she could do.

"You know what the best part is?" Flowey continued. "It's all YOUR fault! It's all because you MADE them love you. All that time you spent listening to them, encouraging them, caring about them; without that, they wouldn't have come here!"

Frisk looked up at her friends, as they all struggled. Was that… regret in their eyes? Frisk couldn't blame them. Suddenly, she realized that her soul was trapped by Flowey.

"Even if it means killing you 1,000,000 times!" he laughed, before surrounding Frisk with his 'friendliness pellets'. Frisk was hit until her health was low. She waited for the final blow, but instead, a circle of fireballs backed Flowey's attack. Frisk looked at Toriel, who was smiling.

"Do not be afraid, my child…" she said. "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you."

One by one, Flowey tried to attack Frisk, and one by one, her friends defended her.

"That's right human, you can win. I believe in you!"  
"Hey! Human! If you can get get past me, you can do anything!"  
"Huh? You haven't beaten this guy yet? Come on, he has nothing on you!"  
"I know that, somehow, you can do it!"  
"Human, for the future of humans and monsters, you must stay determined!"

All of the monsters in the underground appeared to defend Frisk. Everyone she had helped, everyone she had listened to, everyone she had spared.

"We're with you too!"  
"I know you can do it!"  
"C'mon, you got this!"

 **Stay Determined!**

"No, this can't be happening!" Flowey shouted. "You… YOU…"

Suddenly, everything stopped. "I can't believe you're all so stupid! All of you're souls are mine!"

There was a bright flash, and Frisk shielded her eyes. When she opened them, she saw that Flowey was no longer there, but instead, a young monster. It stood, with its back facing her, and began to speak.

"Finally, I was so tired of being a flower." The monster turned around, and slowly opened its eyes. "Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend…"

 **Asriel Dreemurr**

What now stood before Frisk was a beast that could truly be described as a monster. He had horns, and floated in the air. When Frisk check his stats, it read, Infinite attack and defense Legendary being made of every SOUL in the underground.

Fireballs came towards Frisk, and she dodged all of them. Frisk had no idea how she could win this battle, but she knew that she couldn't give up. Having this hope made her feel stronger. She felt, somehow, that she could do anything. Colors suddenly filled the room, as Asriel prepared for his next attack.

Stars rained down from the sky  
Frisk thought about why she was here

Asriel sliced with two blazing swords  
Frisk remembered that her friends came to help her

Asriel summoned beam of lightning  
Frisk knew that she was never alone

Asriel shot Frisk with a light cannon  
Frisk held on

Asriel pulled everything away, including Frisk's health  
Frisk still held on

All the while, Asriel talked about resetting the timeline again, and again, and again. He said that they would be together forever, that this 'game' between them would never end.

"Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way?" Asriel asked, looking genuinely surprised. "Wow… you really ARE something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power! Let's see what good your determination does against this!"

There was another bright flash, and when Frisk looked up, her hope died. Asriel had transformed into a beast with wings that glowed and flashed.

"Behold, my TRUE power!" Asriel's voice boomed, and echoed.

Frisk tried to struggle, but it was no use. Asriel sent beams of light and fire towards her. She tried to dodge, but *crack* Frisk closed her eyes, waiting for the world to reload, but it didn't. Frisk looked at her soul, and saw that it was shaking. She could hear a soothing voice, like something was stoking their soul.

Come on, you can do it. Remember your friends!

Her soul looked as if it would shatter at any moment… **But it Refused**

Frisk continued to struggle, while Asriel laughed

"I can feel it. Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away." he taunted. "Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you!"

Again Asriel attacked Frisk, but this time she was able to dodge better, only losing half of her health. Asriel shook his head.

"Still, you're hanging on? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything too." he said.

With that, he sent out another attack.  
*crack* … **But it Refused**

Frisk tried to struggle, but she just couldn't escape. She tried to use her SAVE file, but it was just out of reach. There was really nothing she could do. Frisk looked up at Asriel, but then noticed something behind Asriel. It was her friends: Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore. They were all standing there, but their faces were distorted. Frisk realized that even if she couldn't save herself, or this world, she could SAVE her friends.

* * *

The lost soul stands there: Undyne

Frisk sucked in a breath as she entered a battle. Undyne, with her face distorted, said the very same things she said during their battle,

"You're the enemy!"

Spears came rushing towards Frisk, but she deflected every one. She realized that everyone must've forgotten her.

"I'll have to get them to remember me…" she thought.

Frisk asked Undyne if she could teach her how to cook. Undyne stopped for a moment, but then shook her head and shouted,

"All humans will die!"

After another round of attacks, Frisk pretended to hit Undyne with all of her strength. Recollection flashes in Undyne's eyes, and her face becomes clear.

"Well some humans are okay, I guess" she said, smiling.

SAVE

The lost souls stand there: Toriel and Asgore

Frisk looked at Toriel and Asgore sadly. The two of them looked back, but their eyes seemed empty.

"Forgive me for this." "This is for your own good" they said, as they sent fire attacks.

Frisk took a step towards Asgore and shook her head

"I won't fight you, Asgore!" She said with conviction.

Asgore's hands trembled as he attacked again. "This is my duty…" he said.

Turning to Toriel, Frisk reached out and gave her a hug. Suddenly, her memories came flooding back. Asgore, seeing the joy in Toriel's eyes, remembered as well.

"Your fate is up to you now." "You are our future!"

SAVE

The lost soul stands there: Alphys

Alphys stood there, still wearing her dress. She looked at Frisk, and lowered her head in shame.

"You hate me, don't you?" she cried.

Frisk tried to shake her head, but Alphys was already fighting, mimicking Mettaton's attacks. When Alphys was finished, Frisk looked at her slyly.

"Hey Alphys, what's your favorite anime?" She asked.

Alphys looked like she was trying to contain her excitement, but then she blinked, and sighed. "I have to keep lying." she said, sending out more attacks.

"No Alphys," said Frisk. "You don't need to lie. Your friends like you for who you are, and they'll always support you, even though you've made mistakes."

Alphys sees the truth in what Frisk says. "Y-your right, my friends do like me!" she said, excited.

SAVE

The lost souls stand there: Sans and Papyrus

"I must capture a human!" "Just give up, I did."

Frisk jumped over the bones that the two brothers sent out, and then thought about how to make them remember.

"Hey Sans, um… your puns are pretty humerus!"

Sans seemed to like Frisk's pun, but Papyrus seemed angry. Either way, they both sent out another wave of attacks, which Frisk dodged.

"Papyrus, let's go work on a puzzle together, wouldn't that be fun?" She encouraged.

Papyrus' memories came back, and Sans, seeing how Frisk treated his brother, remembered too.

"No, you're my friend. I could never capture you!" "Nah, I'm rooting for ya, kid."

* * *

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. She had saved all of her friends. Looking around at the familiar faces, it made her think that there was something missing; someone else that needed to be saved.

"But who…?" Frisk wondered.

Then, she realized. "Asriel… Asriel!" Frisk called.

"Huh? What are you doing?!" Asriel asked angrily.

Frisk actually didn't know what she was doing. How could she possibly save Asriel? As if in response, memories came to light; memories that were not her own. Instead, Frisk saw Asriel, and someone else; a human.

Together, they shared happy memories, both completing each other, and filling the gap in each other's souls. They also felt loss, as tragedy, fear, and misunderstanding tore them apart. They were separated, both going down lonely paths the likes of which would surely be unbearable.

Asriel looked heartbroken. "What… did you do?" he asked. "What's this feeling…? What's happening to me?!" He paused… "No! I don't need anyone!"

Asriel sent out the biggest attack yet, but Frisk knew that she couldn't give up. Instead, she continued to reach out to Asriel.

"Let me help you, Asriel. Let me save you!" Frisk pleaded.

"Stop it, get away from me!" Asriel roared. "Do you hear me? I'll tear you apart!"

Frisk shook her head. "I'm not giving up on you, Asriel!"

Asriel sighed. "Chara, do you know why I'm doing this?"

His attacks all missed Frisk, and she realized that Asriel was no longer trying to hurt her. Hopeful, Frisk looked up at Asriel, willing him to continue.

"You're special, Chara. You're the only one who understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore." Asriel said this, but then he shook his head. "No, that's not just it. I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anybody else!"

Frisk felt a tugging sensation inside of her soul, as if something was trying to reach out to Asriel. Frisk stepped forward, wanting to reach out as well.

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you again" Asriel pleaded. "So please, stop doing this, and just let me win!"

A huge beam of light erupted from Asriel, hitting Frisk, who could feel her health slipping away.

"No!" She shouted. "I'm not giving up!" Somehow, her soul held on. It was like a light that would never be extinguished.

Asriel's head was lowered. "Chara… I'm so alone, Chara. I'm so afraid!"

Frisk's heart threatened to break at the sight of Asriel, completely devastated. She could feel whatever presence inside of her try to reach out, and she did the same.

"Asriel, you're not alone. I'm here for you. Just like I was there for all of my friends." Frisk said.

There was a flash, and there stood Asriel's true form: a young child. Asriel cried, and looked at Frisk with a pained expression.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I Chara?" Then, he paused. "I know, you're not really Chara, are you? They've been gone for… a long time." Asriel cocked his head. "What… is your name?"

"Frisk."

"Frisk? Huh, that's a nice name" Asriel said, smiling a little. "You know, Frisk, I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. I can feel their love for you inside of me, and it makes me want to love too." Asriel lowered his head. "I'm so sorry for what I did. I know I hurt so many people, even the ones I used to love. I thought that if I felt nothing for them, the memories I had wouldn't hurt so much." he paused. "Frisk, I understand if you can't forgive me. I'd understand, if you hated me. I know that I hurt you too."

Frisk shook her head. "I don't hate you Asriel… I do forgive you."

Asriel's eyes widened. "What?! Frisk… you're… you're gonna make me cry again. Besides, I know I can't keep these souls inside of me. I need to let them go. But first…"

Asriel began rising into the air, and the six human souls materialized around him. Then, the souls of every monster in the underground appeared as well. Their hopes and dreams, and their desire for freedom was so great, so powerful. With every soul in the underground, it equated to a single human soul. A rumbling sound could be heard across the entire underground. It got louder, and louder. There was a glow around Asriel that only got brighter. Frisk thought that he almost looked like, an angel. Suddenly The twilight that was just barely coming through the barrier, lit up the room, and… *crack* …

 ***The Barrier was Destroyed**


	4. Ch 4: Free

Frisk watched as Asriel lowered to the ground, and opened his eyes.

"Frisk…" he said sadly. "I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while… I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being 'myself'. I'll stop being able to feel love again. So… Frisk, It's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go be with the people who love you."

Asriel had barely finished what he was saying when Frisk threw her arms around him. There was a moment of silence, as Frisk held Asriel tight. Then, she heard Asriel start to cry.

"I… I forgot how good it feels to be hugged like this." he whispered.

Frisk let out a small cry as well.

"Oh Asriel, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this alone." she said, hugging Asriel tighter.

Asriel shrugged. "For so long, I wondered why I was here after I failed to free everyone. I guess it was because I had to be here for when you gave them another chance"

Frisk took a step back and blushed. "I didn't really do anything though, you broke the barrier, Asriel."

"But it was you who set me free." he responded. "You made me remember who I used to be."

Frisk looked a little confused. "Yeah, I guess. I don't really understand how."

Asriel shook his head. "Well, however you did it. I'm so thankful. Now, you can take care of everyone on the surface. They'll need someone like you."

Frisk cocked her head, smiling. "Someone like me?"

Asriel nodded. "Someone who can reason with the humans, and someone who's kind and compassionate."

Frisk laughed. "I just did what I thought was right…"

"Exactly." said Asriel. "Frisk, you're the kindest human I've ever met, and I know that you're going to do a great job. No matter what you do, everyone will always be there for you."

Frisk was about to say something, but the void began to fade away. Asriel looked around, and then looked back at Frisk.

"Take care of everyone for me, okay Frisk?"

Frisk nodded, trying to say goodbye to Asriel one last time, but he was gone.

"Young one, this is all just a bad dream."  
"My child? Please wake up!"

Frisk recognized the voices, and opened her eyes. The collective sigh of relief she heard was almost comical. Frisk sat up, and saw that she was surrounded by her friends.

"Oh, You're awake! Thank goodness!" said Toriel, wiping away a few tears.  
"W-we were so worried!" said Alphys.  
Sans winked. "Yeah, you made Papyrus cry like a baby."  
Papyrus looked offended. "What?! I didn't cry! I just… caught something in my eye."  
Sans raised his "eyebrow", and grinned. "What did you catch?"  
"Tears!" cried Papyrus.

"Well, I knew the punk was gonna be fine. They're strong like that." exclaimed Undyne, giving Frisk a nudge.

Frisk stumbled a bit, nearly falling over, but a blue aura surrounded her, keeping her upright. Frisk was confused, and looked around. She only saw Sans and Toriel glaring at Undyne, who shrugged her shoulders, and gave a guilty smile.

"Ehehe… oops. Guess I should be a little more careful." she said.

Toriel nodded. "That would be preferable, yes." she said, trying to sound stern, but she couldn't help smiling a little.

There was a small silence, before Asgore said, "Frisk, the barrier is broken. So whenever you would like to go to the surface, we're ready."

Toriel glared at Asgore, but before she could say anything, Frisk spoke up.

"Right. Before we go, can I… take a walk?"

Toriel looked concerned. "Are you sure you're well enough my child? You seem very tired. I'm not sure you should go alone…"

"I'll go with her!" yelled Undyne excitedly.

Everyone looked a little surprised. "I don't know…" said Toriel, looking at frisk.

Frisk, however, looked almost more excited than Undyne. "That would be great!"

Toriel sighed. "Well, okay. But no roughhousing Undyne, Make sure you two stay out of trouble."

Frisk and Undyne both nodded, and walked out of the room.

There was an awkward silence as they walked towards the castle's entrance, but then Undyne broke it.

"So, what are you even taking a walk for anyway?" she said.

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just want to see everyone. I mean, they all came to help me. even the ones who I only talked to once."  
Undone nodded. "Well, you seemed to make friends with just about everyone, just like me!"

Frisk laughed. "Yeah, it's weird though. I mean, I didn't really have any friends on the surface, but here, I made friends so easily."

"Well, I guess us monsters are just friendlier." said Undyne

Frisk looked at Undyne inquisitively. "Yeah, I could definitely see it when you were all out to get me." She had meant it as a joke, but Undyne stiffened slightly, and was quiet. Frisk blushed as she tried to think of something to say.

"I mean… once I got to know all of you, everyone was great!"

Undyne shook her head. "No, we were all pretty horrible to you at first, weren't we?"

Frisk shrugged. "I can't blame you, none of you knew what humans were really like."

"But you had no idea what monsters were like, until we tried to kill you! And you still never fought anyone." Undyne said, raising her voice. She lowered her head. "I always thought of myself as the hero that would save the underground, but I don't feel like any kind of hero now."

Frisk stopped walking. "Undyne. You're the bravest monster down here."

Undyne looked at Frisk, surprised. Frisk continued

"You spent your whole life dreaming of the day when you would free everyone, and you were ready to do what you had to. But when you met me… you just, gave all that up. You all did."

Frisk sighed. "You had no idea that the barrier would break, but you were willing to give up your chance at freedom, just for me…"

Undyne laughed, and hoisted Frisk onto her shoulders. "Well yeah punk, you're the best after all!" Frisk giggled as Undyne ran out of the castle.

Together, Frisk and Undyne walked through the core (they may or may not have gotten lost… more than once), and eventually made it to Mettaton's resort. At this point, Undyne set Frisk down, and the two began to wander around the hotel, and talk to the monsters there.

"As a slime, I'm overjoyed!"  
"Now we can live life without reservations."  
"Little buddy, there's a brand new world waiting for us!."

When they left the resort, Undyne groaned.

"Oh no, not Hotland!" she said. "I don't know how you endured this weather Frisk."

Frisk laughed and looked around. "If you want, you can take the River Person's boat, and I'll meet you in Waterfall."

Undyne looked excited. "Are you sure?"

Frisk nodded, and Undyne ran off, leaving Frisk to traverse Hotland alone.

"I can't wait to sell nice cream on the surface."  
"Hurray! The surface world will have so many new people to help!"

Frisk's smile grew and grew, as everyone talked about how excited they were. After everything that had happened, seeing them all so happy made her think that it was all worth it.

"Freedom feels… so spicy!"  
"Today, we started out as co-workers. Who knows what we'll be tomorrow."

Frisk was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she didn't even realize that she was at the bridge that separated Hotland and Waterfall. Frisk walked across, heading towards the River Person's Waterfall dock. Eventually, she came to Gerson's shop, and decided to talk to him.

When Gerson saw Frisk walk in, his eyes brightened. "Wahaha I knew you could do it!" he said.

Frisk blushed a little, nodded her head.

"Anything you want to know?" asked Gerson.

Frisk looked thoughtful for moment, and then thought of a few things. During the next few minutes, Gerson told stories about Asgore, his nickname, his species, his sweet relationship with Toriel. He also talked about Undyne, and even a little about himself. Frisk didn't keep track of the time, until she head Undyne calling for her.

"Oops, I have to go, Undyne's looking for me. Thank you so much for your stories Gerson!" she said, turning to go.

Gerson gave a tired chuckle. "Anytime," he said. "Be careful out there, kid."

Frisk left Gerson's shop, and looked around for Undyne. She spotted her down at the River Person's boat, panicking. "Undyne!" she said, running towards her.

Undyne looked up, and gasped. "Where were you? I thought you were hurt or something! I was about to go back to Hotland to look for you!"

Undyne sounded angry, but when Frisk got to her, she pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry Undyne, I was just talking to Gerson." explained Frisk

Undyne sighed, and put Frisk down. "I understand, I was just… really worried about you punk." she paused, and gave Frisk a noogy. "Don't know what I would've done if something happened to my bestie!"

Frisk laughed, and clumsily tried to escape Undyne's grasp, but failing.

When Undyne finally let go, Frisk gestured for Undyne to follow her.

"Well, now we can go through Waterfall together." she said.

Undyne nodded, smiling, and they began to walk together. There weren't as many monsters to talk to, but Frisk didn't mind. She just took in the beauty of Waterfall. The crystals, the trickling and rushing water, the sound of a distant music box…

Undyne looked at Frisk, excited. "Do you hear that?" she asked

Frisk listened, and nodded. Before she could say anything, Undyne ran towards the music, and Frisk followed. The music continued to grow louder, until they both came to a statue.

"I can't believe it, the statue's playing music!" said Undyne. "Gerson told me that it used to before I was born, but I never…" she paused, and glanced at Frisk. "Did you…"

Frisk pointed to the umbrella. "I gave the umbrella to the statue, and the music started to play. What do you know about it?" she asked.

Undyne looked thoughtful. "Well, the statue is of Asriel Dreamer, Asgore's son. It used to depict him carrying the first human child to fall down here, but obviously it's seen better days."

"It's really beautiful." Frisk commented.

Undyne laughed. "Yeah, Gerson told me that my parents used to sit together and listen to the music. They loved this statue."

Frisk looked at Undyne, who was staring at the statue with misty eyes. She wanted to know more, but didn't want to pry. So she just listened to the music in silence. After a few minutes, Undyne sighed, and began walking away. Frisk followed, and they left the statue, with the music continuing to play.

As they walked, Undyne sighed. "Man, I can't believe no one thought about putting an umbrella there before. All this time, and no one tried that."

Frisk laughed quietly. "Well, it might seem silly but, I thought the statue looked… sad."

Undyne laughed loudly. "Yeah, that seems just like you." she said. "If all humans on the surface are like you, we'll all set."

Frisk smiled, but lowered her eyes. "I don't know, some of us are pretty nice, but humans can be pretty terrible. Say what you will about monsters, but I can't call you guys cruel. None of you would make fun of anyone because of how they look, or who they are. Humans do that type of stuff all the time."

An awkward silence followed Frisk's statement, before she continued.

"And I can't say that I haven't done that before. To be honest, the reason I spared monsters at the beginning, was only because I didn't think I was strong enough to win any fights."  
Undyne shrugged. "Well, I'm glad you stuck to it. I mean, look where you are now. You're a hero!"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Frisk said, smiling. "But…" she began, but then stopped when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. It was an amalgamate. Frisk jumped back with a cry of alarm, which startled Undyne.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking like she was ready to defend.

Frisk shook her head, feeling embarrassed. "Oh, I… was just surprised by…" she paused, and then pointed.

Undyne looked to see Shyren and her amalgamated sister a few feet away. "Oh yeah, I helped Alphys return everyone to their families earlier." she said. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah, I went to the true lab and met all of them. It was, kind of scary though. They were pretty confused, and lost, and scared." Frisk told Undyne quietly.

Undyne nodded sadly. "Hopefully they'll be better with their families."

Frisk nodded, and approached Shyren and Lemon Bread, trying to smile. "Um, hi…" she said.

The two looked at Frisk, and Lemon Bread looked like it was trying to form a smile. "It feels good to be with my sister again." Lemon Bread whispered.

Shyren didn't say anything, but Frisk could somehow tell that she was happy. Knowing this made Frisk's smile become real. "That's great!" she said.

With that, Undyne and Frisk went on. During the rest of their walk through waterfall, they ran into a few other monsters.

"Did y' hear!? We're free! Now I can live in the ocean, y' hear!"  
"We can go see the real stars now! (but I still don't know what those are)"

Undyne didn't quite understand why Frisk was so happy about a mouse seemingly getting cheese out of a crystal, but she celebrated along with her anyway.

Frisk knew they were nearing Snowdin when Undyne began to complain about the cold. But when they entered Snowdin Town, Undyne stopped and looked at Frisk.

"So, I'm going to see Chang and her family." Undyne began.

When Frisk gave Undyne a questioning look, Undyne explained, "You know, the owners of the Snowdin shop and inn. I know them. Anyway, you can talk to your friends, and we'll meet up, okay?"

"Sounds good." said Frisk.

With that, Undyne went through the snow tunnels, while Frisk continued through Snowdin town.

Frisk talked to the rock family, "Seems like this is the beginning of a brand-new, boundless world… Wah-ha! The adventurous spirit, I'm like a kid again!"

She saw Endogeny reunited with it's family, and talked to everyone in the librarby

She went into Grillbys, and everyone seemed very excited to go to the surface and try new things. Frisk then got surprisingly emotional when she talked to Grillby.

"…good job….."

"Yo, I've been doing some thinking…" said Monster Kid "Maybe Undyne wasn't as cool as we thought. She's kind of mean."

Frisk would have defended Undyne, but she was laughing too hard at what Monster Kid said next,

"But Yo! I just found out about someone way cooler, nyah heh heh!"

There were a lot of monsters Frisk talked to, but it was really nice to see everyone again. She felt nostalgic, despite only being in the Underground for about two weeks.

Frisk walked into the Snowdin shop, to find Undyne talking to Chang. She heard something about a "bright flash", before Undyne saw Frisk and waved her over.

"Oh, hey punk!" said Undyne. "Chang here was telling me about a human saving the underground, and giving them a hero's welcome."

Frisk giggled. "Well, if I see the human, I'll be sure to let them know."

Chang smiled. "Oh thank you dear. You know, so many good things are happening today. The barrier was destroyed, business is booming, despite it being its last day of operation, and I saw Snowdrake, and his parents all together again!" she blushed. "Well by 'all together'… oh, you know what I mean." she said, laughing.

"Maybe we can go see them." suggested Frisk.

Undyne shook her head. "Actually, Alphys just sent me a text that Toriel's getting pretty anxious about you. I think we might want to head back, unless you want a lecture."

Frisk's eyes widened. "Uh, no let's head back." she said with a laugh.

Undyne nodded and turned to Chang. "Well, I'll see you later."

Chang waved at them with a smile. "Goodbye!"

Undyne and Frisk left the shop, and decided to take the River Person's boat back to Hotland.

After they got on, Frisk was curious about something.

"Undyne…" she began. "Lemon Bread, Endogeny, and Mrs. Snowdrake all went back to their families, but what about Memory Head?"

Undyne looked confused. "I don't know who you're talking about."

Frisk tried to think. "There were other things in the True Lab, some didn't even seem like they were monsters at all. It was so… strange. Now I don't even remember some of it."

It was then that Frisk noticed the River Person facing her. It was almost like they were looking directly at her. Then, the River Person spoke, in an ominous, whispering voice.

"Tra la la, Why don't you sing with me? Tra la la"

Frisk smiled, and actually began to hum along with River Person, and tried to block out her thoughts of the True Lab. Honestly, she never wanted to think about it again.

"Come again sometime, tra la la." said River Person, as Undyne and Frisk got off the boat in Hotland. They thanked River Person, and head for the castle.

"Well Frisk, do I know how to show you a good time, or what?" asked Undyne playfully.

Frisk smiled. "Yeah Undyne, it was great."

Back at the castle, Toriel gave Frisk a big hug when she saw her, and thankfully gave no lecture. Instead, she inquired about Frisk's walk to which Frisk told that she had a lot of fun, thanks to Undyne. Toriel smiled at Undyne gratefully.

"Well Frisk, are you ready to go to the surface?" asked Toriel.

Frisk looked around at her friends. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Frisk walked towards the door that led out of the Underground, and everyone followed. She pushed the door open with all her strength, and went through, finally freeing monsters. The sun shown brightly, blinding everyone for a moment, until…

"Oh my…"  
"Isn't it beautiful everyone?"  
"Frisk, you live with this?!"  
"…Wow!"

Before them was a beautiful landscape of mountains and a distant city. The sun was setting, and the shadows that it cast lit up certain features, making it look like a soft glow. The air was clean and fresh, smelling of citrus. Birds could be heard flying overhead, but other than that, there was a peaceful quiet.

"I could stand here and just… watch this for hours." said Asgore, closing his eyes.

Toriel sighed. "Yes, it is beautiful, but we should really think about what comes next." she said.

Asgore cleared his throat. "Oh, right. Everyone… This is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters. Frisk… I have something to ask of you."

Frisk turned to face Asgore, who continues.

"Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?" he asked.

Frisk's eyes widened at his request. An ambassador? she thought. How would she do that? Frisk could barely talk to kids her own age, let alone important adults. But when Frisk looked at her friends. She knew that somehow, she could do it.

"Yes, I'll be your ambassador." said Frisk

"Yes! Frisk will be the best ambassador!" shouted Papyrus. "And I will be the best mascot! I'll go make a good first impression!" With that, he runs off.

"Welp," said Sans. "Someone's gotta keep him out of trouble. see you guys."

Sans leaves, followed by Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore.

"Well, it seems that everyone is eager to set off." comments Toriel. "I'm sure you have your own places to be…"

Frisk shakes her head, and looks at Toriel. "I want to stay with you."

Toriel looks surprised. "What? Frisk…" she smiles. "You are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. Though I suppose it's a good thing you took so long to change your mind."

Frisk nods, smiling

"Well," continues Toriel. "If you really do not have any other places to go, I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need. Now, come along. Everyone's waiting."

With that, Frisk took Toriel's hand, and the two head off together. Frisk doesn't know what will happen next, but she's excited to find out. After all, it is a bright new future, even for her.


	5. Ch 5: Stargazing

It took quite awhile for them all to get down the mountain. By the time they finally reached the base, night had begun to fall. They walked through a wooded area for awhile until they came to a large clearing. Toriel stopped and looked at Frisk.

"Well, my child, where do we go now?" she asked.

Frisk looked around. "Well, I think we should camp here for the night, and then go into town tomorrow." she paused. "It'll probably be better to introduce yourselves in the light of day."

Toriel nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."

When Toriel and Frisk walked over to the rest of the group, Sans saw them, and grinned.

"Geez kid, don't know how you managed to climb that thing, these old bones could barely manage to get down." he said, stretching over-dramatically.

Toriel went to talk to everyone, leaving Frisk with Sans.

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know, I thought going up was hard, but it only went downhill from there."

Papyrus, who had overheard, groaned. "Brilliant Sans! Now you've infected Frisk with your awful jokes."

Sans laughed, putting his arm around Frisk. "Come on bro, that was pretty hill areas…"

Papyrus was still for a moment. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

Frisk looked at Sans, who was beaming.

"Wow," he said. "I've never seen Paps speechless before."

"Yeah," said Frisk. "I guess you could say he… um," She tried to think of another pun. "Was… tongue tied…?"

Sans ruffled Frisk's hair and laughed. "Heh, that could've worked kiddo… if we had tongues."

Frisk blushed and face palmed. "R-right…" she stammered.

"But hey, you're getting the hang of it." said Sans, shrugging. "Maybe one day…"

Sans was interrupted by Toriel calling the group together. "Alright everyone." she said. "We're going to camp here for the night. Alphys has brought tents for everyone, so we shouldn't have any problems."

And indeed, there weren't. Within the hour, tents were set up, dinner was eaten, and everyone was fast asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Frisk.

Frisk laid wide awake, thinking about the past, the present, and the future. This was the first time since she fought Asgore that she could think about it all. Unwillingly, tears began to form in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. Frisk felt so overwhelmed.  
Not wanting anyone to see, Frisk quietly got up and left the tent. She walked a little ways away, sat down, and began to cry. She didn't even know why, but the tears continued to flow anyway.

After a few minutes, the tears slowed down. Frisk hiccuped and sniffed, rubbing her eyes with a sigh. She looked up at the stars absentmindedly, and just stared.

"There you are." said a voice behind her.

Frisk turned around, startled, and saw Sans standing there, with his hands in his pockets.

Sans looked up at the stars. "Nice night out, huh?" he asked.

Frisk shrugged and turned back around. She was surprised when Sans sat down next to her. For awhile, neither said anything.

Finally, Sans broke the silence. "So, you gonna tell me what's going on, or nah?"

There was no answer at first, but then Frisk responded with a whisper. "I… I don't think I'm ready for this."

Sans cocked his head. "Ready for what?" he asked

"For any of this! Everything is so uncertain. What happens to us depends on what I do. I'm scared, I'm…" Frisk paused, covering her face with her hands. "I just know I'm gonna mess everything up!"

"Hey, come on kid. I'm sure it's all gonna be fine." Sans said, a little uncomfortable. "I mean we're all here for ya."

Frisk shook her head. "Of course you are. Because I set you free, right? I'm some kind of hero?"

There was a moment of silence, before Sans said, "No."

Surprised, Frisk looked up, and saw Sans looking at her with a serious expression. Before she could question him, Sans continued.

"Now, I can't speak for everyone else, but me being with you right now has nothing to do with you breaking the barrier."

Frisk opened her mouth to speak, but Sans kept going.

"Kid… Let me tell you something. Before you came here, there wasn't much that I cared about. Really, it was only Papyrus, but even then, I never really had to worry about him. Every day was pretty much the same. That's why things like Toriel at the door impacted me so much. When you came from the door. I was excited to finally experience something new."

"So," Frisk began. "I was an experience to you?"

Sans shook his head. "No. Maybe at first, but as I watched you, there was something else. I didn't realize until I talked to you in the judgement hall, before you faced Asgore. I cared about you. I worried for you. I wanted to do everything I could to make sure you were safe. So, I went to the door of the Ruins, and convinced Tori to come out."

Frisk's eyes widened. "You did?"

Nodding, Sans went on. "For so long, I just went through life on autopilot, just kind of coasting along. But when it came to you, I knew that I couldn't afford **not** to care."

Sans sighed, and looked at Frisk intently. "Do you get what I'm saying buddy?" It doesn't matter how much you screw up. You've already changed my life. You've made me into a much better monster. And there's nothing I would rather do than be by your side, and see what you do next."

Frisk just sat with her mouth open. Sans rubbed the back of his head.

"Uh, sorry… I'm kind of new to this kind of stuff, But I hope…"

Sans was cut off by Frisk throwing her arms around him. Sans sighed with relief and hugged Frisk back.

"Heh, thought that I'd left you tongue tied for a minute there." he muttered.

Frisk laughed. "No, but you might have untied my soul, because I feel free."

Sans sighed, "See? I told you that your jokes would get better." he said, letting go of Frisk.

They both stood, and looked at the stars. After a few minutes, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Before Frisk could point it out, someone yelled behind them.

"Wowie, what was that?!"

Sans and Frisk turned around to see Papyrus approaching, along with Toriel, Undyne, and Alphys.

Frisk smiled. "That was a shooting star Papyrus." she said.

Papyrus gasped excitedly. "That sounds like the coolest thing ever!" he looked at Sans. "No wonder you like sci-fi stuff so much brother!"

Everyone gathered around Frisk, and watched the stars with wonder.

"They're more beautiful than I ever could have imagined." said Alphys. she moved closer to Undyne, who put her arm around her.

"Yeah, it's almost like magic!" breathed Undyne.

Toriel nodded in agreement. "I had forgotten just how…" she paused, putting her paw up to her face. "Just how amazing the stars are." her voice was a quiet whisper.

Eventually, Frisk yawned and could barely keep her eyes open. She felt warm, furry arms pick her up. Completely contented, Frisk laid her head on the soft fur, and fell asleep.

Frisk woke up the next morning in the tent, with a smile still on her face. She peeked out of the tent, to find everyone up and about. Frisk stepped out, and walked over to them.

"Good morning my child, I hope you slept well." said Toriel.

Frisk nodded, and looked for Sans, but realized that he must still be asleep. Alphys approached Frisk nervously.

"Um… so, Mettaton has gotten all of the monsters together, and they're ready to come to the surface." she said. "What should I tell him?

Frisk thought for a moment. "Well, I think they should wait until we introduce you guys." she reasoned.

Asgore, who overheard, nodded. "Yes, we don't want to alarm the humans with too many of us."

"Speaking of which…" began Toriel. "How do you think we should go about introducing ourselves, Frisk?"

Papyrus beamed. "Oh, I could go meet the humans!" he suggested.

Frisk shook her head. "I should go into town and tell the Magistrate about you guys…" she began. "But, he probably wouldn't believe me."

Frisk thought, and then looked up. "Toriel, would you go with me?"

Toriel looked surprised. "Well, I suppose. Why do you think it should be me?" she asked.

Frisk blushed. "Well, you probably look the least-threatening at first glance." she explained. "But, it would help if you had a disguise until the right moment…"

Frisk looked around until her gaze fell upon Asgore. "Do you think that Toriel could borrow your cape, Asgore?" she asked.

Asgore blinked, but then nodded, taking it off and handing it to Toriel. She took it without looking at him, and wore it like a hood, obviously understanding Frisk's plan.

Frisk sighed nervously, and looked at her friends. "Well, I guess it's now or never…" she said. "Are you ready Toriel?"

Toriel fiddled with Asgor's cape, and then took Frisk's hand. "I believe so."

With that, Frisk and Toriel walked in the direction of the human town.


	6. Ch 6: Thaaat's Politics, part 1

Saying that Frisk was nervous would be a gross understatement. So gross that if it had a name… it would probably be Jerry.

Frisk and Toriel walked through the town, heading towards the capital. Frisk was suspicious of every glance that people gave them. She was waiting for a gasp of fear, or disgust, but none came. Finally, they made it to the capital.

Frisk led Toriel inside, and they walked down a small hallway lined with busts and paintings, until they came to a waiting room. It was much more modern than the hallway, with ordinary chairs, lights, and a desk. Frisk was extremely thankful that no one was in the room except a secretary, who was sitting at the desk and typing away on a computer.

Frisk approached the desk, and cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me?" she asked. Her voice sounded raspy, making Frisk suddenly feel very small.

The secretary looked up from his typing and peered at the two of them. "Can I help you?"

Frisk took a deep breath. "I need to speak to the Magistrate please."

The secretary did a double take, and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Well, no… but it's very urgent!" insisted Frisk.

With a laugh that wasn't unkind, the secretary shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you need to have an appointment to speak with the Magistrate. The next opening is in two months. Would you like me to schedule it?"

Frisk looked at Toriel, and the two seemed to have a silent exchange. Without a word, Toriel turned to face the secretary, and dropped the hood.

His mouth fell open with utter shock. He stared at Toriel, seemingly unable to process the sight before him.

"Please," Frisk repeated. "It's very urgent."

The secretary's hand moved slowly to the intercom, keeping his eyes on Toriel. He pushed the button, and spoke. "Uh, sir… there's an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of. May I send some… uh, people… into your office?"

There was silence for a moment, before the intercom crackled to life. "Yes, send them in." said a gruff voice.

The secretary glanced at Frisk, looking like he was afraid to take his eyes off Toriel. "Go through the door." he said, pointing to a large door to their right.

Frisk nodded, and she and Toriel went to the door, and walked in.

Inside was a large office that looked both elegant and modern. There were long curtains lining the windows, and carpet that looked so expensive, it might well be made of money or gold. A middle-aged man with gray hair and glasses sat at a desk covered in papers.

When Frisk and Toriel walked in, the Magistrate looked up, and his eyes widened. Frisk started to speak, but she stumbled over her words, trying to think of the right thing to say.

"Um, I was wondering if… I mean, thank you for seeing us. I'm the ambassador to, um… monsters, uh wait, no… I'm the monster ambassador to humans. I want to speak with you about…"

Frisk was blushing furiously, and when she fell silent, Toriel stepped in.

"Good morning sir." she said with confidence. "I am Toriel. My kind has been trapped underground for some time, but we have recently been freed by Frisk here, who is now acting as our ambassador. We have come to make peace with humans and live among you once again."

The Magistrate sat in silence, just staring at Toriel. When she finished, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Your… kind, you say? How many of you are there?"

Toriel looked thoughtful for a moment, and then responded. "Well, I'd say around 200."

Frisk thought the man's eyes were wide before, but when Toriel said that, they bulged to the point where Frisk wondered if they hurt.

Toriel continued. "We are staying at the base of Mt. Ebott, while we wait for the next step."

The Magistrate shuffled through some papers, before looking back up at them. "Well," he said. "I need to look into your situation, and the protocol. I think we should have an official meeting tonight. Then, we'll decide what should be done."

Toriel looked at Frisk, who realized that she expected her to answer. "Um, yes. We can do that. Thank you so much for your time."

With that, Frisk awkwardly walked out, and Toriel followed. Before they left, Frisk looked back, and saw the secretary staring at them with intense curiosity.

The whole way back through the woods, Frisk groaned at how the introduction went.

"That was so bad!" Frisk cried, angry at herself. "How will he take us seriously when I acted like a little kid too shy to talk to adults?! You sounded much more confident, why don't you be the ambassador?"

Toriel laughed. "Well, to be fair, I have been practicing a speech like that for some time now. Besides," said Toriel playfully. "When we met, you were a little kid, too shy to talk to adults. It was two days before you said a word to me, and even then, it was…"

"Where's the bathroom?" said Toriel and Frisk at the same time.  
Frisk laughed. "Yeah, I do remember that."

"It seemed like you changed so much in the week you stayed with me, and so much more by the time I saw you again." said Toriel quietly.

Frisk looked up at Toriel, and saw that she had turned away from her. Frisk couldn't think of anything to say, so the two walked back to the camp in silence.

As soon as they came into view of everybody, Frisk spotted Sans sitting on a tree stump, watching the woods. He immediately saw them, and ran (actually ran) over to them.

"Frisk!" he said, sounding upset. "Why didn't you come get me before you left?"

Frisk looked at Toriel, then back at Sans. "Um, because you were sleeping?" she said, a little confused.

"Well, you should've woken me up. How did you think it was a good idea to just waltz into a human town without any protection?"

Frisk laughed. "Come on Sans, Toriel has fire magic. We were just fine."

Sans sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry… I had just, been planning to go with you."

"You can come with us tonight." said Frisk. "The Magistrate scheduled a meeting tonight to decide what to do."

Sans nodded. "That sounds good."

Frisk continued, "Asgore will need to come too, of course."

Toriel sighed. "Yes, I suppose he will."

The three of them walked back into the camp, and the others crowded around, excited to hear how it went. Alphys told Frisk that Mettaton was leading the rest of the monsters down the mountain, and they would arrive shortly. Frisk nodded, and started to head back to her tent.

"Where are you going?" Alphys asked.

"If I'm going to be your ambassador," said Frisk, determined. "I have a lot of work to do."

As the day came towards evening, the rest of the monsters arrived, and Frisk, Asgore, Toriel, and Sans were getting ready to go. They were quite surprised when two men in black suits came out of the woods. They approached the encampment in silence, until they stood in front of Frisk and Toriel.

"We were sent to bring you to the meeting." one of them said.

Frisk nodded, and pointed to Asgore and Sans. "they're coming too."

The men nodded, and went back towards the woods, expecting them to follow.

Frisk looked at her friends and shrugged. "I guess we go with them." she said.

The four of them followed the men to a black car. Somehow, they were all able to fit, and before Frisk knew it, they were head towards the capitol building.

When it came into view, Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, she was half expecting the men to "take them out" instead of to the meeting. The car stopped, and everyone got out. The men led them right to the door, and opened it. They walked in, and Frisk looked around. The magistrate was still sitting at his desk, and Frisk was surprised to see the secretary from that morning sitting in a chair. The magistrate waved them over to sit down. There were two empty chairs, where Frisk and Asgore sat. Toriel and Sans stood.

"Now," the Magistrate said. "Let's begin. My name is Arthur Benson, Magistrate of this county. This," he continued, gesturing to the secretary, "is Duncan Mathis. He has been doing research about your situation, and will act as your advocate. I am going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them to the best of your ability. Do you understand?"

They nodded, and Benson picked up a clipboard. "Alright, first… Please identify yourselves."

"My name is Frisk, and I'm acting as the monster ambassador."  
"I am Asgore, the king of the monsters."  
"I am Toriel, and I am the guardian of the underground ruins."  
"I'm Sans, and I'm, uh… Frisk's bodyguard."

Frisk almost laughed at Sans' introduction, thinking that she was more likely to be his bodyguard. Does he even have an attack? She thought. Frisk wasn't sure.

Benson wrote something, and then looked at Frisk. "So," he began. "You're acting as their ambassador?"

"Yes, that's right." said Frisk.

"Good good, now… can you tell me about your experience with these… monsters?" he asked, and before Frisk could begin, he added, "Don't be afraid to speak freely."

Frisk tried to hold back a sigh, realizing that when he said that last part, he was looking pointedly at the monsters.

"I fell into the underground, from a hole on Mt. Ebott, and was cared for by Toriel. When I left her to traverse further and look for a way to make it back to the surface, I met many of the monsters that live there."

Benson interrupted Frisk with, "And how did the monsters treat you?"

"Well, when they first saw me, many of them were afraid. They attacked me at first, but once they realized I wasn't going to hurt them, they stopped and became very friendly." Frisk explained.

"I see," said Benson, writing something down.

"And of course now we wouldn't attack any human." Toriel tried to reassure Benson.

Benson didn't acknowledge what Toriel said, but instead looked at Frisk and continued his questions.

"What is it exactly that the monsters desire?" he asked.

Frisk paused a moment to think of the right words. "They want to live peacefully with humans. Toriel wants to be a teacher, several of the monsters want to run businesses, and some want to pursue acting careers. They all just, want to live free."

Benson stared at Frisk for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, before writing again on the clipboard, and then gestured to Duncan Mathis.

"Okay you can start your questions now." he said.

Mathis cleared his throat, and pulled out a notebook.

"Right," he began, turning to look at Asgore. "Uh, first… how were you all able to survive in the underground for so long?"

"We have a variety of monster food that we brought with us when we first arrived in the underground, and that we grow ourselves." Asgore explained

Mathis nodded thoughtfully and continued. "Are you familiar with the concept of currency?"

Asgore nodded. "Yes, we use gold, and we also have taxes that help fund several projects."

Mathis looked interested as he wrote that down. When he looked up, his eyes focused back on Frisk. "Did you ever feel unsafe while in the underground?" he asked.

Frisk tried to read Mathis' expression, and found only concern.

"Well… I was scared, of course, when the monsters were attacking. But, I quickly realized how much they cared for each other, and how much they cared about me, eventually." Frisk said, looking at Benson nervously, but he was looking at Mathis.

Frisk and the monsters answered several more questions, about monster's familiarity with human customs, desires for the future, and the compatibility of humans and monsters.

"Now, I have been researching Mt. Ebott, and there is one thing I must ask." began Mathis. "Several children have gone missing in the last couple hundred years, with their last known whereabouts being the mountain. Do you know anything about these disappearances?"

Frisk began to inwardly panic as she tried to think of an explanation, but Asgore laid his large paw on Frisk's shoulder, before beginning to speak. His voice sounded old and sad.

"I can answer this. The children fell into the underground, and… I took their souls."

The silence in the room was almost overwhelming.

Asgore sighed, and continued. "I was trying to set me and my subjects free, but that's no excuse. It's because of Frisk that we are free now, and I don't want what I've done to ruin their lives, so please." he stopped, trying to keep it together. "Hold me responsible, not them."

When Asgore had finished, Benson stood up. "Okay, I think that's all we need." he said, sounding surprisingly chipper. "My men will take you back to the base of Mt. Ebott, and we'll send someone when we decide what's to be done."

Duncan Mathis ushered Frisk, Toriel, Asgore, and Sans out of the room.

"Don't worry," he tried to reassure them, "As your advocate, I'll plead your case as best I can."

With that, he closed the door.

On the ride back to the monster encampment, a somber feeling hung in the air. Frisk couldn't help but feel like she could've done more. Then again, no amount of diplomacy could change what Asgore did, and no doubt it would be the number one thing against their case. Frisk could only hope that Asgore's plea, and taking sole responsibility would help, even if it condemned Asgore.

When they arrived back at Mt. Ebbot, Frisk realized how emotionally and even physically exhausting the meeting was. She wanted to go right to sleep, and one look at Toriel, Asgore, and Sans told her that the feeling was mutual. Thankfully, Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, and even Mettaton recognized that they would rather talk about the meeting in the morning, so they left them to get some welcomed rest.


	7. Ch 7: Thaaat's Politics, part 2

"And now, the ambassador will give a speech. Frisk, please tell us why you think the monsters are worthy of living on the surface."

Frisk stepped up to the podium, in front of thousands of people.

"Well," she began, before being interrupted.

"How do we know they won't kill us, like they did to you?"

"They… they won't! The monsters were just afraid. None of them would attack humans for no reason. I mean, once I befriended them…"

Frisk turned around to look at Toriel and Asgore, but they licked their sharp teeth as they walked towards her. Frisk jumped off the podium and tried to get away. She felt a claw swipe at her, and fell off the stage.

* * *

And when Frisk hit the ground, she woke up with a gasp. Looking around, Frisk sighed with relief, and sat up. Toriel usually slept next to her, but she was nowhere to be found. Frisk stepped out of the tent, and saw Papyrus and Undyne standing around a table, preparing a meal.

Frisk walked over to Asgore's tent, and cleared her throat. "Um, Asgore, do you know where Toriel is?" she asked, peeking inside.

Asgore sat with his back to Frisk, his head hung low. He was silent for a moment, before answering quietly. "I think she got a phone call, and went into the woods to take it."

Frisk nodded, and opened the tent flap wider. "Um, are you okay?" she asked carefully.

Asgore sighed and turned around. He looked disheveled, like he hadn't slept a wink, and his eyes somehow looked even emptier than Sans'

"I'm sorry Frisk," he said. "I know I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself. My actions may cost my people their freedom, when that's all I ever wanted to give them. I just… I've been trying to be hopeful for your future, instead of mourning the loss of my own."

Frisk stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Asgore…" she began, but then realized that she couldn't think of anything to say that would comfort him.

"It's okay." he said sadly. "I do wish the best for you all. I just hope what I told the Magistrate was enough to save your freedom." he said.

Not knowing what else to do, Frisk gave Asgore a hug. For a moment, he stiffened, and then wrapped his massive paws around her.

"Thank you Frisk," he said, letting go and bowing his head once again. "You've done all you can for me. Go be with your friends now."

Sighing, Frisk closed the tent flap, and walked sadly over to Undyne and Papyrus.

Papyrus spotted Frisk and waved her over. He immediately noticed that his friend seemed down, and decided to cheer her up.

"Do you want to try some of our marvelous spaghetti?" he asked, holding out their concoction.

Frisk's face reflexively scrunched up, but she tried to smile politely. "Uh, no thanks… I'm good. You know, maybe you should try making something other than pasta… for breakfast."

Undyne looked offended, but Papyrus set down the "pasta" and looked at Frisk with interest. "Like what?" he asked "The great Papyrus is always eager to learn new forms of cooking!"

Frisk thought for a moment. "Well, we could look in the woods and find some ingredients. Then we'll decide what to make."

Even Undyne looked excited now, and the three of them set off into the woods. After walking around for awhile, Frisk spotted something that excited her, and she ran in that direction, Undyne and Papyrus following.

"Look!" she said, pointing to a bush. Growing on it were fat, juicy looking blueberries. Papyrus peered curiously at them,

"Wow! They look very tasty! What are they?" he asked.

Frisk began plucking them from the bush and putting them into a basket she had brought along. "They're called blueberries, Papyrus." she answered him.

Papyrus' laughed. "Well, that is an appropriate name for them I suppose."

"Hey Frisk," asked Undyne. "You sure you know what you're doing? I mean, in an anime that Alphys and I watched, people can be poisoned by berries."

Frisk shook her head. "Don't worry, I've been in these woods before, and I know how to find safe food to eat. I'm an expert." she said proudly, continuing to pick.

Undyne shrugged and bent down to help, and Papyrus did the same. Within a few minutes, Frisk's basket was full, and all three of them had hands covered in blueberry juice. Undyne and Papyrus didn't quite know what to do, until Frisk licked her hand with a big smile on her face. When the two of them did the same, their eyes widened.

"Frisk, this tastes amazing!" said Undyne.

"Yes," agreed Papyrus. "I suppose human food does have its merits."

The three of them continued to look for food, finding more berries, some nuts and edible leaves, and even sprouts that Frisk said was her favorite vegetable of all time. Although Undyne and Papyrus weren't sure what a vegetable was, they tried the sprouts, and agreed with her.

After about an hour and a half, Frisk declared that they had enough to make a "forest salad",

"It's an old family recipe." Frisk joked as they started back to the camp.

As they were walking, Frisk suddenly smiled, dropped her basket, and ran over to a fallen log. She grabbed a stick, and ran to the top, holding it out.

"Look guys," she said excitedly. "I am Frisk, ruler of the forest, commander of all, from the smallest ant to the biggest frog!"

Undyne laughed, remembering doing the same thing when she was younger, and bowed dramatically. "Your Majesty, I'm honored to be graced by your presence."

Frisk nodded, and pointed her stick at Papyrus. "You, great skeleton, can be of great use to me. I appoint you head of the forest forest army. You will protect us from all things evil and thorny!"

Papyrus squealed with delight. "Thank you Frisk, I will be the best skeleton general you've ever seen!"

Frisk jumped off the log with a huff, picked up the basket, and began confidently leading the way. "Back to the camp!" she announced. "We will prepare a feast that will be free of cramps."

At that, Frisk laughed gleefully, and smiled the whole way back.

When they arrived, Sans was waiting for them. "Where have you guys been?" he asked curiously.

"Ah, there you are peasant! We have come from the woods. Help us prepare these hard earned goods." said Frisk, putting the basket on the table.

Sans looked at the three of them, and when he saw their huge smiles, he followed suit. "well, you all seem berry excited."

Frisk gasped and looked at Papyrus. "General, take this fiend to the pungeon for treeson."

Papyrus jumped and tackled Sans, while Undyne stood there shaking her head.

Papyrus and Sans sat on the ground, laughing up a storm.

"Now brother," said Papyrus between laughs. "It's time… you pay… for your crimes!"

"Don't you mean… my pines?" said Sans with a wink.

Papyrus groaned and rolled away. "Frisk, I'm sorry, it was too much!" he cried.

Frisk held her stomach as she laughed. "Nooooooo, Papyrus! I knew him well!"

It took a few minutes for everyone to calm down. when they did, all four of them began to help with the "forest salad". By the time they finished, it was more of a lunch than breakfast, but they enjoyed it none the less.

As the day went on, Alphys eventually came out of her tent and talked about the stability of the core. Frisk listened intently, glad that Alphys could talk confidently about her passion for engineering and science.

Asgore even came out, looking just a bit more hopeful. His eyes scanned the camp, and when they met Frisk's, he beamed, and then quickly looked away. Before she had time to wonder about it, she was startled by Monster Kid.

"Yo, the surface is great Frisk! It's even better than my parents said it would be." he declared excitedly.

Frisk nodded, and Monster Kid continued.

"I'm gonna make friends with tons of humans, hopefully they'll be cool like you."

Frisk shrugged, "I don't know, I'm pretty cool. It would be hard to compare." Frisk said jokingly.

Monster Kid laughed. "Yo, you're starting to sound like me and Papyrus, Frisk!"

"Maybe I am." said Frisk. She looked back at Asgore, who was now talking to Alphys.

When Frisk went to sleep that night, Toriel still wasn't back, but when Frisk woke up the next morning, she was sleeping beside her in the tent. Frisk stepped carefully, trying not to wake her, and breathed in the cool morning air.

Papyrus and Undyne were again preparing breakfast (pasta again), and everyone else just seemed to be enjoying the the surface.

Frisk helped them make breakfast, giving up try to teach them about breakfast foods vs. dinner foods. She had fun, and even got it to taste like actual pasta. The rest of the monster gradually woke up and went to the table. They actually seemed to like the cooking, which made Papyrus very happy.

Suddenly, Frisk heard something in the distance. she scanned the tree line until eyes met three figures emerging from the woods. Frisk realized that two of them were the men in black suits. As they came closer, she recognized Duncan Mathis as the third one. By now, the rest of the monsters gathered around and watched the men approach. Before Frisk knew it, they were standing right in front of her.

"Good morning Frisk." said Mathis formally. "I'm here to talk about what we've decided, concerning the monsters."

Frisk peered behind her, to find nervousness and concern on every monster's face. Before she could decide what to do, Asgore spoke up.

"Alright, everyone go back to the camp." he said.

The monsters began to make their way back, except Toriel (which Asgore didn't object to). When everyone else was out of earshot, Mathis cleared his throat.

"Now, we have given a lot of thought as to what should be done about your proposal." he said, speaking to Frisk. "After discussing it with the high commission and putting it to a vote, we have decided to begin granting the monsters legal citizenship."

Frisk couldn't help but smile at this news, but she tried to keep her composure, sensing that he wasn't finished.

"We would like to start with the monsters who have something significant to contribute to society, so that they may begin pursuing their desired careers. We can work all of that out later. They have been able to survive many years on their own, so I trust they will be able to continue doing so while the process ongoing, is that correct?" he asked.

Frisk looked at Toriel, who nodded.

"Before that happens, however," Mathis went on, "We must send physicians into your encampment, to perform examinations and administer proper vaccines. This is for the safety of both the general human population, and for you all as well."

He paused, to make sure that there would no protest to this, and when he was met with none, he continued.

"I would recommend that no monster enters the capitol without a human escort, until a later time. Also, we would like to send several data analysts to ask questions about monsters within the next several weeks."

"Yes, that's fine." Frisk said.

"Now, next is the subject of you, Asgore."

At that, Frisk looked at Asgore with fear in her eyes. Asgore stepped forward, and focused his eyes on Mathis.

"Asgore, you have admitted responsibility for the deaths of several children who have fallen into Mt. Ebott throughout the last few hundred years. is this true?"

Asgore nodded sadly.

"And the war between humans and monsters seemingly ended with monsters being banished to the underground, correct?"

Again, Asgore nodded.

"But, there was never an official signing of a peace treaty, was there?"

Asgore looked up, surprised. "Well, no. I suppose there wasn't." he said.

Mathis pulled out a piece of paper, and held it out. "Then," he said. "Technically, the war has still been going on for all of these years. I have a peace treaty that is signed by the Magistrate, legal commander of the territory where the war officially began. If you sign this, you promise to never launch an attack on humans (as we promise to never launch an attack on monsters), and in return, the atrocities committed by both sides are acquitted."

Frisk's mouth hung open in shock, and she saw that Asgore's was too.

"You mean, Asgore can be free?" asked Frisk.

Mathis nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "Yes, that's right."

Asgore shakily took the pen that Mathis held out, and signed his name. When he was done, Mathis put the peace treaty in his pocket.

"If you become legal citizens," Mathis said, looking back at Asgore. "You will have to give up your title as king. Instead, you will become a representative of the monster race, along with Frisk, who will continue to act as your ambassador. Do you understand?"

"yes, of course." confirmed Asgore, and then he turned to Frisk. "Is that okay with you Frisk?" he asked.

Excited, Frisk nodded. "Yes, I love being your ambassador!"

Mathis looked at the three of them, making sure that there were no objections.

"Well then, there is just one last matter to settle." he said. "Frisk, we have looked into your records, and they say that you have been a ward of state for several years, and you previously lived at Little Rock Orphanage, is this true?"

With a look of fear, frisk turn to face Asgore and Toriel, and then back at Duncan Mathis.

"Um… well, you see…" she stammered, and then sighed, lowering her head. "Yes, that's right."

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Mathis sighed.

"There is usually a certain protocol for this, but because of your unusual situation, I was able to pull some strings, and you will be able to remain with Lady Toriel while your custody transference is being finalized."

Frisk gasped and looked up, almost not willing to believe what he just said. She whirled around to face Toriel, who had tears in her eyes.

"Oh Frisk, I didn't want to get your hopes up, but Mr. Mathis called to tell me about your situation yesterday, and I began the adoption process immediately."

"So," Frisk whispered, beginning to cry. "You're going to become my mom?"

Toriel nodded. "Yes my child."

Frisk hugged Toriel with a small sob, and buried her head into Toriel's fur. Toriel closed her eyes and held Frisk in her arms. It was almost a minute before Frisk realized that Duncan Mathis and his men were still standing there. Frisk wiped her eyes, and faced them.

"Thank you, Mr. Mathis. Thank you so much." she said.

Mathis blushed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, you're welcome. I'm glad I could be of help to you guys."

He gave a signal to the men, who walked back into the woods.

"Anyway, I wish you all the best. Toriel gave me your phone number, so I'll call to set up a meeting to talk about the citizen process tomorrow." Mathis finished.

With that, he turned around, and followed his men through the woods.

Toriel took Frisk's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You did it, Frisk." she said.

Frisk smiled, and the three of them walked over to the monsters. Everyone looked at them nervously, wondering what had happened. Asgore cleared his throat, and spoke to his people.

"We are free!" he bellowed.

With those three words, the monsters rejoiced. Some even cried tears of joy. After generations of being trapped and fearful of humans, they were truly free.

Toriel looked down at Frisk, who was looking at all of the monsters with a look of pure joy on her face. She had done it. Her quest to free the monsters had finally come to an end. They could live peacefully, and with Toriel adopting her, Frisk knew that her life with them was only just beginning.


	8. Ch 8: School Dayz

Over the next two months, everyone was very busy. Frisk and Asgore went to meeting after meeting, and made many public appearances. Frisk never realized how exhausting politics was, not to mention the process of gaining citizenship was a slow one. One day, people came to get some information from the monsters as a whole, by asking some questions.

"Do you have a major religion?" Asked one, and was met with confused faces. Frisk tried to explain what they meant.

"Like, do you believe in a god?" she tried.

Undyne perked up at that. "Well, monsters can become gods if they absorb human souls…" When the analysts raised an eyebrow at that, Undyne stammered, "I-I mean… not that… any monster would ever do that after the uh, peace treaty… or ever really, it's kind of just a myth."

Frisk sighed and tried again, "You know, a higher power?"

"Asgore is our king, does that count?" asked a slime.

"Um… maybe just put them as mainly agnostic for now." said Frisk, giving up trying to explain.

"Next question, do any of you plan to run for office?" asked a woman with brown, tied back hair. When she was met with silence, she added "That's when you enter an election to take the Magistrative seat."

The monsters looked offended at that, especially Asgore. "Of course not!" he said "None of us would ever try to overthrow Mr. Benson's leadership."

"That's not, oh never mind." she said. "Politically, do you all lean more to the right or left?"

Frisk interrupted. "Okay, I think that's enough questions for today, thank you for coming, we really appreciated it, we should do it again sometime, etc. etc."

They put their notes away and began making their way out of the encampment. Soon after, Frisk got a text from Sans. it read, "Dont forget about the meeting bensons"

At some point during the hight of Frisk's crazily busy work, Papyrus had noticed how stressful it all was her, and decided to help, roping in Sans too. Sans became a sort of secretary for Frisk. He made sure Frisk made it to meetings, and that she had everything she needed to make them successful. Surprisingly, he was actually very good at it. Papyrus had expressed his feelings about it several times to Frisk.

"I'm so proud about how much my brother has improved!" he would tell her. "His work ethic and organization is at a level I only remember seeing when we were very young, and I think that you have been a great influence on him, Frisk."

Frisk had to agree that Sans was becoming less lazy, but he still took shortcuts in everything whenever he could, and he never let up with his jokes. Come to think of it, many of the monsters were changing right before Frisk's eyes. Alphys was becoming more confident with each passing day, and Undyne had learned to lower her energy just a bit when it was necessary. These changes were hard to see as they were happening, but when Frisk took a step back, she admired how far they had come since her first day in the underground.

When Frisk had read the text from Sans, she got Asgore, and they made their way to the road where Papyrus waited.

Papyrus did indeed come up with a great way to help Frisk. As soon as he was able, Papyrus had gotten a driver's license, and had received a car from the government to drive them to and from meetings. He had been so happy to see the look on Frisk's face when he told her about it.

"Now I can finally live my lifelong dream of driving in a real car, while also helping my dear friend. Truly, the great Papyrus lives to help and fulfill dreams." he had said excitedly.

Frisk and Asgore got to the meeting just in time, and sat down with the Magistrate, Arthur Benson. Frisk had expected Duncan Mathis, their original advocate, to be there too, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Alright, let's get right down to business." said Benson. "You all have been very cooperative with the procedures, and the monster's citizenship process is well on its way. I have to admit, everything is going a lot smoother than I expected."

Asgore looked at Frisk with a smile. "Well, Frisk has done a lot to help us get through everything quickly." Then he gestured to Benson, "And of course you've done a wonderful job, Mr. Benson. I appreciate how much you've done."

Arthur Benson nodded, and pulled up a chart on his computer. "As of right now, everyone's citizenship papers are going through, and the first ones should be approved within the month. Once that happens, they can start moving out of you encampment, and starting careers.."

Frisk's eyes lit up. "That's great! What should we do until then?" she asked.

Benson shrugged. "Nothing really. For the time being, the schedule is at a stand still.

Frisk was very relieved to hear this news. Mathis had assured her that the extensive work would eventually lessen for awhile, but it felt like forever away.

"I will be in touch for any unexpected delays or news, but everything is set for now." finished Benson.

Asgore nodded, and stood to leave, and Frisk spoke up, "Um, where is Mr. Mathis? I thought he would've been here for this."

Benson nodded, "Well, Duncan Mathis was recently transferred to another county to continue his career. People with such successful first assignments are highly coveted. Anyway, he told me to wish you the best."

Even though Frisk was very happy for Mathis, she couldn't help but feel disappointed that she didn't get to say goodbye. Nevertheless, Frisk nodded, and she and Asgore walked back to Papyrus.

"How did it go?" Papyrus asked cheerfully.

Frisk smiled in response. "Pretty good. Mr. Benson said there's a lull in the schedule, so I can take a little break for awhile."

"That IS good. Hey, that means you can hang out with me and Undyne more!" he said excitedly.

Frisk nodded. "I can't wait!"

Papyrus started the car and pulled onto the main road. "Sans will be glad for the break. He's working very hard." he commented.

"You all have." said Frisk. "All of you have done so much to help me. Before Mr. Mathis left, he told me that we were moving things along a lot faster than anybody thought we would, and Mr. Benson said the same thing just now."

Papyrus blushed. "Aw, thanks Frisk. I love helping my ambassador." Then he frowned. "Where's Duncan Mathis?" he asked.

"He was promoted, and moved to another county" Frisk said.

Papyrus gasped. "Really? That's great!" When Frisk looked at him with confusion, Papyrus explained. "One of the times I was waiting for you, Duncan Mathis came out to ask me something. We ending up talking, and he told me a lot about his life. He said that he's wanted to be promoted for a long time."

Frisk laughed a little. "I wondered why he was taking so long. He said he needed a pen, and I said that you had one. "He was gone forever!"

Papyrus shrugged "I guess I like listening to people… and talking."

Frisk nodded, and then realized they were back as Papyrus slowed the car to a stop. She unbuckled her seatbelt, and ran to tell Toriel the good news.

"Mom, Mom!" she called, running into the monster camp.

Toriel emerged from her tent and came over. "What is it, Frisk? Is the meeting over already? What happened?"

Frisk explained to Toriel what happened, and Toriel smiled. "That's wonderful news!" she said. "Now you can focus your needs."

Frisk cocked her head. "Needs? What needs?"

Before Toriel could respond, Sans walked up to them.

"Hey kid, how'd it go?"

"Good," answered Frisk. "Mr. Benson says we can take a break for awhile."

Sans gave Frisk a pat on the back. "Hey, that's great."

Frisk turned back to Toriel. "What were you talking about, with my needs?"

"Yes," continued Toriel. "Now that you'll have more time, I think you should start school."

Frisk raised her eyebrows in surprise. "School? I don't know… It's been a long time."

"Really? What was latest grade you were in?" she asked.

Frisk blushed, "Um… kindergarten."

Toriel gasped. "That long?! Do… do you know how to read?"

Frisk shrugged. "Only a little. One of the older kids at the orphanage was teaching me for awhile, but then she… left. Anyway, I don't really want to go to school with a bunch of other kids. They'll just think I'm weird, or dumb… or both!"

Sans shook his head. "You're not weird or dumb Frisk."

"Thanks Sans, but still. I want to spend time with you guys."

Toriel looked thoughtful, and then looked around the camp. "Well, maybe there's a way you can do both. With all of the monsters here… I'm sure many of them have knowledge about a variety of subjects."

"Do you mean…" Frisk began. "That you guys could teach me?"

Toriel nodded. "If that's what you want. I'm sure everyone would love to pitch in."

"Of course, we'll need Asgore's help." said Sans.

Toriel glared at Sans, but he wasn't intimidated in the least. "You've been away in the Ruins for so long," he pointed out. "Asgore will know which subject each monster specializes in better than anyone."

Toriel blinked, and sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Sans, would you please talk to Asgore about everyone's expertise?"

Sans nodded. "Sure Tori."

Within an hour, Asgore was on board with the plan for Frisk's education. Eventually, had made a list of subjects and the names of the ideal monsters to teach each subject.

Science: Alphys

English: Toriel

Math: Sans

P.E. Undyne

History: Gerson

Music: Shyren

Cooking: Papyrus

"Sans is good at math?" was Frisk's first question.

Sans laughed. "Heck yeah I'm good at math. You kidding me? There are so many shortcuts I've found to make it easier, I'm practically an expert."

But then the Sans looked at the list, and back up at Asgore. "Cooking…?" he said, raising his eyebrow.

Asgore shrugged. "Papyrus asked specifically to teach Frisk cooking. Probably because he'd have to wait awhile to teach her how to drive."

Toriel took the list and looked it over. "Yes, this is adequate. Thank you Asgore." she said curtly.

Asgore nodded, and awkwardly walked away. Frisk watched him enter his tent and close the door. She began to get lost in her thoughts, until Toriel spoke, this time in her gentle, caring voice.

"Well Frisk, are you ready to get started?" she asked.

Frisk nodded excitedly "Yes, this is going to be so much fun!"

* * *

"O-okay, um… Here's a little experiment we can try." started Alphys as Frisk watched intently.

"We have one of Asgore's teabags, and I'm just going to use these scissors to cut it open."

Alphys cuts a flat line on the teabag, and pours out the tea onto the table. She then sets the teabag on top, and pulls out a match.

"Now, Heat makes air rise Frisk, that's um… the point of this experiment. When I light the top of the teabag on fire… make sure you're standing back, um, the heat makes the air in the bag rise and, well just watch."

The teabag starts to burn, but it suddenly shoots into the air. Frisk's eyes widen in surprise and wonder as it begins to float back down, the tiny fire now put out.

"The heat on top of the teabag created a current inside, making the teabag into a little rocket." explained Alphys. "Now, let me tell you how this concept plays a big role in precipitation…"

"Now Frisk," said Toriel. "I have here a poem for you to read. Sound each word out carefully. This poem is called, 'The Sun and the Wind'. You can do it."

Frisk looked at the poem, and began.

"The sun… and the wi-wind had a bet. The cl..oa-k of a man, w…h. which would get? Blew the wind, the cloak he clung tig… ti,"

Toriel corrected Frisk's pronunciation, and urged her to continue

"…Tighter. The sun shone, the cloak flung, the man… lighter."

"Very good Frisk!" Toriel commented.

Frisk smiled and finished the poem, "So you see, said the sun, still shining. True strength comes from kindness, not violence."

Toriel clapped her hands. "Excellent Frisk, you're doing so well. Now, I have another story, 'The Tortoise and the Hare'"

"Okay kid, I'm gonna teach you a shortcut for multiplying by 11. With single digits, just make the number double. Like, for 6x11, the answer is 66. 4x11 is 44, 9x11 is 99, you get the idea."

"But, what about double digits? asked Frisk.

Sans nodded. "For that, just separate the digits, add them, and stick the answer in between. Like this, 52x11/5_2/5+2=7/572 52x11=572, see?"

Frisk looked a little confused at first, but when she tried with a few other numbers, she nodded excitedly.

"Great!" said Sans, giving a thumb's up. Now, let me tell you the secret to multiplying 9s…"

"Come on, Frisk, just three more laps, you got this!"

"Just about everyone attended Asgore's coronation, even some humans…"

"Si re si re si mi…"

"That's not smoke Frisk, it's just steam! Oh wait…"

* * *

The first week of "monster school" went pretty normal, but the next week, things got a little more interesting. Frisk walked over to the table where Papyrus was setting up for his cooking lesson, and was surprised to find a young boy sitting on a bench nearby. Frisk went up to Papyrus and nudged him subtlety.

"Hello Frisk! Are you ready for today's cooking lesson?" he asked cheerfully.

Frisk nodded, and whispered, "Who's that boy over there?"

Papyrus looked at him, and then back at Frisk. "That's Caleb. His mother heard about my cooking lessons, and wanted him to attend. Of course, I accepted immediately. Now we can make a brand new friend, and teach him my expert cooking skills!"

With that, Papyrus motioned for Caleb to come over, to which Caleb got up from the bench, and slunk over to the table, like he was annoyed.

As he came closer, Frisk was able to get a good look at Caleb. He was fair skinned, and skinny, with brown hair a dull, green eyes. He wore an orange shirt and blue jeans, and looked to be about 10-12 years old. Frisk reached out her hand to shake Caleb's, but he pushed past her and sat at the table with a huff.

"I'm only here cause my mom wanted me out of her hair while she worked." he said. "I'm not here to make friends, and I hate cooking."

Frisk's eyes widened, and she looked at Papyrus. He, however, seemed unfazed by Caleb's rudeness.

"Well, I'm glad you're here Caleb. Hopefully we can change your mind about friends and cooking!" he said with a smile. "Now, today we'll be making cookies." He then leaned down to Caleb and whispered, "Frisk has recently informed me that humans eat more than just spaghetti.", to which Caleb rolled his eyes.

Frisk set all of the ingredients, which she had picked up from the store earlier, onto the table. She looked up at Papyrus and asked, "What do we do now?" (despite already knowing)

"Well, Toriel gave me this recipe book for us to follow… But Undyne has said that recipes are for nerds." pondered Papyrus.

"I think nerds are pretty cool though." Frisk countered.

Papyrus nodded, his face now looking determined. "Then I suppose we will be nerds today!"

One by one, the ingredients went into the bowl. Flour, sugar, eggs, butter, they were expertly and neatly placed in… Is what would've happened if anyone present actually knew what they were doing. Instead, eggs ended up on the floor, the butter made Papyrus' bones too slippery to do much of anything, and four got all over the three of them.

"Um…" started Frisk, wiping the flour away from her eyes. "I guess our half-baked experience really shows, huh?"

Papyrus groaned, but as he tried to stomp his foot, he slipped and fell right on his sacrum bone.

Before Frisk could say anything, she heard something behind her. She turned around, and saw Caleb with a huge smile on his face. He began to snicker, but it was quickly interrupted by a flour-induced sneeze. After a second of silence, Caleb broke into full on laughter.

Papyrus held onto the table as he pulled himself up, and smiled at Caleb. "Well, it appears that… huff, you are amused… puff." he said.

Caleb look a breath from his laughter, and wiped his eyes. "Yeah, this has been the most fun I've had in… well, ever! I never knew you could be this bad at cooking."

At that, Frisk let out a little snicker. "Yeah, I think we might have set a record."

Papyrus smiled. "I suppose you're glad that you came, yes?"

Caleb's smile fell, and he sat down at the table. "No, I'm still mad that my mom dragged me here. The doesn't want to deal with me."

Papyrus sat down next to Caleb, and gave him a sympathetic look. "Now why wouldn't your mother want to deal with you?" he asked

Caleb sighed. "Because, I've been acting out, she said. I've been causing trouble at school and at home. So she made me come to this dumb cooking class to get me out of her hair… No offense."

There was silence for a moment, before Papyrus said softly, "What has been troubling you?"

Caleb looked up at Papyrus, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, when monster children are causing trouble, it's because something is troubling them. I thought that it might be the same for humans. I mean, for monsters it's because kids don't have balanced magical energy levels, and when an emotion suddenly spikes, the levels make them act differently than they normally would. I know that humans don't have magic like that, but…"

Papyrus stopped talking when he noticed that Caleb had tears in his eyes, threatening to spill out. Without a word, he put his hand gently on Caleb's shoulder. This action opened a door inside Caleb's soul.

"I… I just don't know what to do." He said, beginning to cry. "My sister's been really sick this year, and there's nothing I can do to help her, and I just found out that my grades have been so bad that I might have to repeat a grade. If I get held back a year, everything that I've wanted to do will be ruined."

Papyrus opened his arms to Caleb for a hug, and after some hesitation, Caleb leaned in.

"I haven't gotten much sleep either, cause I keep having nightmares. I d-don't know what to d-do! I didn't even tell my mom about my grades yet. She's gonna be so mad!"

"There there Caleb, it's okay." said Papyrus. "It's going to be okay."

"How?" asked Caleb.

"If you tell your mom, I'm sure she'll only want to help you. As for your nightmares, there are lots of things to help with that."

"Yeah," put in Frisk. "Toriel says that soothing tea helps you sleep."

"And if you tell your mom about it, she can help you." continued Papyrus. When I had nightmares as a child, my brother sang to me, or read me stories."

Caleb sniffled. "But…"

Papyrus shook his head. "I'm sure your mother cares about you very much. If you tell her what's wrong, she'll only want to help."

Caleb nodded solemnly, wiping his nose. Frisk handed him a tissue, and he took it gratefully. After a few minutes, he had stopped crying.

"Well," he began. "I guess we don't have enough time to makes cookies now. Sorry about that."

Papyrus patted Caleb on the head. "Don't worry, I glad that we could do something more important."

"I don't think the cookies would've been edible anyway." Frisk pointed out.

Caleb laughed. "Yeah, probably not."

Papyrus stood up and crossed his arms. "Hey, my cooking are incredible, not edible!"

Frisk and Caleb both laughed at that.

The three of them spent the next ten minutes cleaning up themselves and the area with a hose. Before they knew it, the cooking lesson had become a water fight. When Caleb's mom came, Papyrus gave him an encouraging thumb's up, to which Caleb nodded, a big smile now on his face.

It wasn't even a week later when Caleb returned to the monster encampment with great news.

"Frisk, you'll never guess what happened!" said Caleb. "I told my mom about my grades, and she hired a tutor, and that tutor is your mom!"

Frisk was very surprised to hear this. Frisk later heard from Toriel that Caleb's mom approached her, asking if he could join Frisk for a few classes, to which Toriel accepted gladly.

"That's great Caleb! And… What about your nightmares?"

Caleb blushed a little. "My mom bought some classical music for my to listen to when I go to bed; she said it'll help. She also told me that if I ever need to wake her up because of a nightmare, that I shouldn't hesitate."

Frisk nodded. "That's good, you wouldn't feel guilty though?" she asked.

Caleb paused, and then shook his head. "After she took the school thing so well, I know now that she just wants to help me, just like Papyrus said."

Frisk smiled. "Great! I'm glad he was able to help you."

Over the next few weeks, Frisk and Caleb attended the unofficial monster school. Eventually, Caleb's grades were such that he didn't need a tutor anymore. However, he still came to hang out with Papyrus, and Frisk, whenever he could. The monster's classes didn't get any new members. That is, except for Papyrus' class. Well, sort of…

"What do you mean it's not a cooking class anymore?" asked Toriel.

Frisk was busy writing posters, but she looked up with a smile. "Nobody's been attending it for the cooking, mom, and we don't even cook there anymore, so there's no use calling it that."

"Well then, what do you all do? Why has Papyrus' class been getting so many members?"

Frisk laughed. "Papyrus is a regular child therapist. Kids and their parents have been calling him, Dr. Bones!"

Toriel looked shocked. "A therapist?!" she exclaimed.

"That's right. Apparently, Caleb's teachers noticed the change and asked what happened. Word got around and, well…" Frisk paused. "Dr. Bones was born."

Toriel sighed. "That's… amazing!"

"I know! Papyrus has really found his calling, and he loves it!" said Frisk, continuing to work on the posters.

And so, the class of Dr. Bones continued to grow, and Frisk continued to attend monster school. Everything seemed to be just perfect.


	9. Ch 9: Nightmares

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Frisk called out into the darkness, but no one answered. It was so dark, she could hardly see her hand in front of her face. "Mom? Sans?" she called out again. Hearing nothing, Frisk began to get anxious. She stood there, not knowing what to do next.

Suddenly, she began hearing a strange noise. It was so quiet that Frisk couldn't even make out what it was, or where it was coming from. Frisk listened intently, and the sound began to grow louder. No, closer… Frisk finally recognized the sound, and it filled her with terror.

Static

The sound seemed to be coming from all directions, and it began to close in. Despite this, Frisk knew she couldn't just stand there. After getting her legs to move, Frisk ran in a random direction, hoping it was away from him. After a few seconds, Frisk saw a light shine on her. She glanced back, and saw Omega Flowey's massive, horrific form closing in.

Frisk's running slowed to a crawl. For some reason, her legs had stopped working. She began to panic, desperately trying to get away, but it was no use. Within moments, Omega Flowey plucked Frisk off of the ground and brought her up to his face.

"You will never be able to get away from me!" he bellowed, before closing his vines around her tightly.

Frisk gasped as her breath was squeezed out of her. She coughed and squirmed, but to no avail. As her eyes began to close, Flowey laughed, and said again,

"Never!"

* * *

Frisk jumped awake with a start, breathing heavily. After catching her breath, she numbly removed the covers that were wrapped around her and climbed out of her makeshift bed. After having the same dream every night, Frisk thought that it shouldn't faze her by now, but during the nightmare, it was as if everything else disappeared. Wanting to forget about it, Frisk left the tent and walked over to the table in the camp where Toriel was.

"Oh, hello Frisk dear. I hope you slept well." she said.

Frisk shrugged and sat down at the table. Not breaking the silence, Toriel set a plate of cinnamon pancakes in front of Frisk, and then sat down with her own.

"Actually, I have been having… nightmares the past few nights." Frisk said carefully.

"Oh no! I'm sorry you're dealing with that Frisk." responded Toriel sympathetically. "Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to help you."

"Yeah, don't sweat it kid," said Sans, who had been nearby. "I'm sure we can dream up a solution that'll work."

Frisk let out a muffled laugh, her mouth filled with pancakes. She could always count on Sans to lighten the mood and make her feel better.

"So, do you have any plans today Frisk?" asked Toriel.

Frisk nodded, her mouth still full of pancakes. After swallowing, Frisk opened her mouth to speak, but froze when she spotted something crawling out of her tent. It was dark, and looked like a shadow, except solid. The thing slunk out of the tent, and as it moved, noises escaped it that made her cover her ears, trying to block it out.

Ṱ̜̤̰̯h͈͕͉̘͚̀e͓͍̗͔̼͇̞͠ ̲̰̣̞̥̙ch̯̳̲̝̥̞̜͞i̵ḷ͕̜͖̱̀d̰͟ ͇̖̪i̫̥̱̦̭̜s̡̜̭͉͎̦̹̳ ̵͈̲a̯͓̕l̦̗͙͍̱r͉̯̦̗̞̮eą̰̗d̪̗̹̱̱̮͈y̛̰̖ c͇̪ru͕̟̫͕̤̥ͅmb̶l̥̲̖͇̣i̥̺̖̯͓̳͔͢n̻̺̙͙͖̪g.̸ ̼S̹h̛͎̗͚e̝̱̝ ̤͔̪is͈͈͎̯ͅ ̶f͚̙͔̞͎̞͈a̞ḻl͏̥iṉ̠͕͈̬͉g̡ ͇͇͕a̗̼p̱͚̥̝̫̯͡a̦̟̗͝r̘̠̪̱̹̮̦t͚̳̕ͅ,̦͉ ͍̩̝̼͕̯̲͜a̢͕n̨̬̘̫͓̯̜ͅd̻̣́ ͏̮̯h͠e̵̞̞͇r̤͘ ̥̳̻̦̭̙̝h̸͉̯͉͙̫̲͚e̜a̲̦͎͚r̠̙t҉̳͓̠̟ ̧͉͇̪g̶̗̪̤̩͔̬̺e̷̮t̺̪͇s̘̥͓͍̱̕ͅ ҉̹w̸̲͔͚̙̤̻e̬̖̠̣͇̮͓a҉̦k͎͓̫̦̕ḛ̰̙̼͖̖r̺̯̗̱͇̼̯ ͈̦̦͈̠̦e̻̤͚̫v̰e͏͔̦ry̷̠̥̹̣͖͈͍ ̯̙͡

d͍̮͉̜ͅà̙̞y.̡̻̰̲͖̦͖̯͘S͙͟o̲̗o̭̖̪̭̖̝̣n̡,͖̳̪̰͉ͅ ̨̰̯̦̟w̰͉͉̮͞e̶̱ ̨͇̤̳w͎̞͟i͇̝̮̭l̹̘͖l̝̩̜̫͘ͅ ̥͓g͓̰̣a͎̻̪͇̫̦̣i̠͉n̞͇ ̸͙͎̭̠͖c̶̞͔̰̻o̤͇̜͠n͏̬̥̰͙̜t͓̩̘͓̬͘r̨̝̯̻̟̙̣͕ọ͚͢l̤̬̙͙͕̮ͅ.̱̦̳̘̰ ̢̤͚̮̻̻ͅThe̛̻̣̱͕ ̷̟̙͓̻̘ͅd̗͎̦a͇̼͙̱̹̻͘y̲̼̩̞͕̙͈ ̸a̘͍͡p͚̤̰̤͖̠̜p̮̯͇r͇̪͙̜͈̗o̺̯͚͕̭a͏̦c̼͇̰he̮̮͠s̩̼͍̠̱ ͕̮̰̬͜q͏u̗͖͎͖ic̣̺̤̝̹͡ḵ̕l҉y̧͕͓.̸̟̰̯͕̦̙̠̣̖͎̭̝Ḏ͜į̪͖̭e̯̟͚͕͟ͅͅs͕̫̞ ͕̖̩̜̩m̳̮̣̱͉͖͡o͍͓̺̙̹̕ͅr̵̭͕̭̼̗̟͈t̮i̤̙͇͔̯͠s

"Frisk? Are you okay?"

Frisk blinked, and the creature was gone. She glanced back at Toriel, to find her staring. "Um… Yeah, I'm fine. I'm uh… Going to be hanging out with Caleb today."

Toriel still looked suspicious, but didn't pry. Instead, she just nodded and continued eating.

After breakfast, Caleb arrived at the camp. He came with a backpack full of food.

"Oh child, you didn't need to bring a lunch. We will provide that." said Toriel sweetly.

Caleb shrugged with a smile, and explained that his mom made him bring it. He set the backpack on the table, and turned to Frisk, who was smiling ear to ear. "What should we do first?" he asked.

Frisk thought for a moment, and then got an idea. "How about we play hide and seek?"

Caleb cocked his head. "Hide and seek?" he asked with a laugh.

Frisk lowered her eyes, now feeling embarrassed. "Uh, I guess it's a little childish huh? It's just… I always played it at the orphanage and it was really fun, so…"

Caleb nudged Frisk playfully. "Sure we can play. It'll be great, but… can we hide in the woods?"

Frisk nodded, and Caleb ran off into the woods without a word. Frisk, taking the hint, closed her her eyes and began to count.

"17-18-19… 20. Ready or not, here I come!"

Frisk took off after Caleb, determined to find him. When she entered, Frisk looked behind trees, in bushes and logs, up trees and in ditches. Suddenly, Frisk saw movement behind some bushes to her right. A sly smile crept onto her lips as she snuck towards the hiding place.

"Ah ha!" she shouted with glee, jumping into view.

Instead of Caleb, however, a strange creature sat before her. It was goopy and strange. Frisk was so surprised that she took a quick step back, nearly falling over. It had no eyes, but Frisk still felt like she was being watched. It frightened her, in a way that she couldn't even describe.

Suddenly, the creature rose until it was just as tall as frisk, and whispered in a raspy voice, _"Lorem ipsum docet…"_

At the same time, Frisk felt something touch her shoulder. She screamed, and this time, did fall over as she tried to turn around. Frisk looked up to see Caleb smiling ear to ear.

"Oh my gosh, I got you SO good, that was hilarious!" he laughed, giving Frisk his hand.

Frisk took it, and was soon back on her feet. Caleb's laughter died down when he saw the look on her face. Now he looked concerned.

"Hey, you're good right? I… didn't scare you that bad did I?"

Frisk shook her head, "Um, no… I just thought I saw something."

Caleb looked around, nervous now. "What?" he asked.

"I don't know." she responded absentmindedly. "It seemed familiar, but I've never seen it before. At least, I don't think so…"

"Well," Caleb started. "Maybe we should go back to the camp."

Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah, That sounds like a good idea…"

She turned around, and began walking out of the woods, Caleb following. Frisk felt bad that she had ruined the game, but so many other thoughts were swirling through Frisk's mind. What was that unsettling creature?

Frisk didn't have much time to think about it, because as soon as they came out of the woods, they saw Papyrus running towards them.

"Frisk! I have to take you to Mr. Benson!" he yelled.

Frisk was confused, to say the least. "Mr. Benson? Why, did something happen?" she asked with worry.

Papyrus finally stood in front of them, panting loudly. "I don't know. He contacted Asgore and called an urgent meeting. He and Toriel already left, and I'm supposed to drive you." he said.

"What about Caleb?" she asked, looking at her friend, who seemed concerned, but curious.

"He can come too, let's go!" Papyrus answered, before running towards his car.

Frisk and Caleb shrugged, and followed him. They all piled into the car, and soon they were off.

"We should play a game!" said Caleb excitedly.

Papyrus and Frisk were confused.

"A game… In the car?" asked Frisk.

Caleb nodded. "Yeah, there are lots of games that are perfect for car rides! Like, um… We each pick a certain color, and then count all of the cars we see with that color. Whoever has the most wins!"

Papyrus instantly yelled, "I'll take red!"

Frisk laughed and said, "I'll take blue."

Caleb thought for a moments, before saying, "I'll take green. Ready… Set… Go!"

What followed was an extremely fun game of "Color Cars" with lots of laughter. Except for the loser, who suffered the shame of defeat.

Eventually, they arrived at the office. However, when they tried to enter Arthur Benson's office, they were stopped by the new secretary.

"The ambassador only, please." she said curtly.

Frisk turned around and looked at Papyrus and Caleb sadly.

"Don't worry," reassured Papyrus. "I will take Caleb home, and maybe he can come over another time."

Caleb gave Frisk a thumb's up. "Yeah, no worries! I had fun today, and we'll have even more next time. Besides, I can teach Papyrus some more games, like slug bug!"

Frisk smiled and waved at them as they walked out of the building. Then she turned around and walked into the office. Asgore and Toriel were already there, sitting in chairs, and Mr. Benson was sitting at his desk. Frisk took the chair between her family, and sat down.

"Thank you for coming," said Mr. Benson. "It seems your break will be over sooner than expected. There are some public appearances you need to make, well, everywhere. We'll pay for all the expenses, of course. I suggest you start traveling by tonight."

A shocked silence followed for a few seconds, before Toriel spoke up.

"Now wait just a minute. Frisk has started school now. She is catching up fast to the level of other children her age, but it won't help to drop all of that to go on tour." she argued.

Mr. Benson looked at three of them, quite surprised to meet any opposition. He folded his hands, and leaned forward.

"Yes, but you have chosen Frisk to be ambassador, and she needs to be expected to balance her education, recreational activities, and the job." he said sternly.

Asgore cleared his throat and leaned forward as well. "Mr. Benson, is this plan absolutely necessary for the citizenship of monster kind?" he asked.

Mr. Benson's eyes widened. "Well, no… But I believe that it is a very important step in integrating yourselves into society. People from other places have heard of you by now, but actually meeting you in person will help ease people's minds who might be confused or fearful."

"But, is Frisk essential for this particular 'tour'? I believe Frisk's education should come first, unless it's absolutely necessary. Or perhaps, this could be done at a later date." countered Asgore confidently.

After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Benson let out an annoyed sigh. "Oh… Fine. Frisk can stay here, but I need you, Asgore, to go to the Nation's capital at least. We can reschedule for the full tour, but this needs to be done right away." he said, sounding frustrated.

Asgore nodded. "Very well, I will go."

Mr. Benson then started going over the details of the trip. Airline tickets, packing, and so on.

Before long, the meeting was adjourned. Frisk, Toriel, and Asgore exited the building and found Papyrus back with his car.

At the camp, Asgore immediately began packing. It wasn't even an hour before he was ready to go.

"Papyrus, I'm sorry, but I need a ride to the airport." he said.

"No, do not be sorry King Asgore, I am glad to help. You should be excited!"

Asgore laughed. "Well, I suppose it will be quite an experience."

Toriel stood next to him, and looked at Papyrus. "I will be coming too." she said. "To see Asgore off at the… Air-port."

Papyrus nodded with a smile and got into the car. Toriel and Asgore said goodbye to everyone, and each gave Frisk a hug.

"I'll be back by tomorrow Frisk, I hope you sleep well."

"Goodbye Frisk, I'll be back before you know it."

Within a few minutes, they were gone. Frisk suddenly felt very tired. The last few hours had been crazy. She realized with a start that she had hardly said anything in those few hours. Frisk probably would've felt bad, but honestly, she was too tired to think.

"I think I'm gonna hit the hay," she told her friends.

"Sleep well"

"Be ready for P.E. tomorrow!"

"Aw, come on. What did hay ever do to you?"

Ignoring that… last comment… Frisk went into her tent and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Frisk opened her eyes. Confused, she began to look around, but there was only darkness.

"Where am I?" she wondered.

Suddenly, Frisk could hear something getting closer. She didn't know what it was, she couldn't even see anything, but a feeling of dread began to form in her stomach. Frisk took a step back, then another. She couldn't even tell where the sound was coming from.

Then, in an instant, two things occurred: Frisk recognized the sound as static, and heard the sound directly behind her. Without even looking back, she began to run in the opposite direction. She ran faster and faster, but it seemed like the closer the sound became, the slower she ran. Frisk risked a glance behind her, but saw nothing. When she looked ahead, Frisk noticed something in the distance. She was fearful for a moment, until she recognized Toriel.

"Mom, help me! Flowey's gonna kill me again!" Frisk called as she approached and thew her arms around Toriel.

Toriel wrapped her own arms around Frisk protectively. "Do not be afraid, my child." she said.

Frisk closed her eyes tight as the static grew closer. She wasn't afraid anymore though. As she waited for Toriel to make Flowey go away, Frisk felt her body get warm. She was confused, but she began to feel hotter, and hotter. Frisk's eyes snapped open, and she half pushed and half fell out of Toriel's arms. Lying on the ground, Frisk tried to see her back, which was searing with pain. She looked up at Toriel with shock, and saw that her hands had an open flame resting on her palm.

"Mom, that really hurt!" Frisk cried, feeling terribly confused.

Toriel knelt down to Frisk's level, and before Frisk could move away, pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry my child. So sorry…" whispered Toriel.

Frisk didn't know what to think of this. She felt confused, hurt, angry. She didn't have time to process these thoughts, however, as she suddenly felt heavy breathing on her back. Frisk pulled out of the hug and whirled around. Omega Flowey was sitting there, seemingly having watched the scene unfold. Frisk shakily stood, and backed up, reaching her hands behind her for Toriel.

Frisk's hands met empty air

Frisk looked behind her for Toriel, and was horrified to see her walking away.

"Mom! Where are you going?!" she asked in disbelief.

Toriel didn't answer, but just kept on walking. Frisk began to run after her, but her legs hardly seemed to work. After only going a few feet, Frisk fell to her knees in exhaustion. When she looked up, Toriel was almost gone from sight.

"Mom, please!" Frisk screamed. "Don't leave! Mommy! Toriel!" her voice was starting to get hoarse, but she didn't stop. Frisk screamed and cried until she couldn't anymore. She coughed as her throat burned. She let out one last whisper, "Please…"

Suddenly, a large hand wrapped around Frisk as Omega Flowey had finally had enough of this show. He brought Frisk up to his face and smiled wildly. Frisk couldn't scream due to her lost voice, but as she flailed and struggled, the terror in her eyes said enough. Flowey laughed as a cannon emerged from his huge, rotating body. Frisk was face to face with the barrel of it. Deep inside the cannon, something began to glow, and Frisk could do nothing as the light got brighter, until an enormous flame shot out of it.

* * *

Frisk shot up with a horrified scream. Her voice had returned, and the scream was so loud, it startled Frisk, causing her to instantly stop. What resulted was a short, fearful cry that was quickly cut off. After a second of shocked silence, Frisk broke down with sharp, painful sobbing.

This went on for less than a minute, before someone tore the flap on the tent away and rushed inside. The loud and careless entrance made it clear that whoever it was thought that Frisk was in some kind of danger. There was a few seconds of silence, however, as the intruder assessed the situation. Finally, Frisk felt two skeletal hands gently touch her face. With hardly any strength, Frisk allowed him to lift her face into view. She was staring into Sans' eyes, which were hollow, and his smile turned into a pained grimace.

"Frisk? What happened?!" he asked.

Frisk's face held fear and desperation as she suddenly clung to Sans as if he had just saved her from some evil. She didn't answer him.

"Come on kid, don't cry. It's okay." said Sans. He was utterly confused, and was surprised by Frisk's reaction, but he didn't pull away. He finally realized that there was no danger, but Frisk had had some kind of nightmare. He sighed. Sans was not very experienced when it came to this kind of thing. Sure, Papyrus had nightmares now and again, but never had he seen such a reaction.

Frisk's sobbing was accompanied by panicked breathes, and she still clung to Sans tightly. Sans looked into Frisk's eyes and saw that they were wild and unfocused. Getting a little panicked himself, Sans pulled Frisk close and began stroking her hair softly.

"Shhhh…. It's okay Frisk, It's fine. It was just a dream." Sans whispered. He could feel Frisk's tense grip loosen as she relaxed. Her sobs had died down, and when he looked into Frisk's eyes, he saw exhaustion, fear, but also life.

"Heh, you good Frisk?" he asked. "You really scared me there for a second."

Frisk looked away.

"Hey, don't worry about it though… everyone has nightmares now and again. It's okay." he said reassuringly.

When Frisk didn't answer, Sans just lifted Frisk back into her makeshift bed. As he was standing, however, Frisk grabbed onto his hand.

"Sans?" she asked with a hesitant whisper. "Will you… sing to me?"

Sans was quite taken aback by this question, and he stammered out, "W-what? I mean… I don't really sing, uh…"

Frisk shook her head. "Yes to do. You sing to Papyrus when he has nightmares. He told me."

Sans' eyes widened. "Did he now?" he asked. "Well, it's been a long time, not sure sure if I even remember."

"Please Sans?" Frisk insisted. Her face was covered with tears, and her voice cracked on just about every word. Sans sighed, and cleared his throat. didn't even look at Frisk as he began.

"Let's go in the garden… You'll find something waiting" his voice was shaky and quiet. "Right there where you left it… lying…"

he stopped suddenly, and shook his head, a little frustrated. "No, I can't. Sorry Frisk, it's just… No, goodnight Frisk. Don't ask me to sing again, cause I won't" He said this quickly, and then exited the tent without another word.

Frisk sat in her bed, with shocked silence. She buried her head in her hand with shame. She couldn't believe she had done that to Sans. He was trying to help, and she just screwed it up with her dumb question. In fact, Frisk realized, she had probably woken him up with her crying and carrying on. She swallowed the new tears that threatened to spill out, and laid her head on her pillow with a huff. The nightmare was slowly leaving her memory, and all that occupied her thoughts now, was how she had ruined Sans' night. Before Frisk closed her eyes (knowing it was unlikely that she would actually sleep) she was determined to never do that again.


End file.
